DHS suspends Harvard foreign study visa program; Harvard sues

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Thursday it is suspending Harvard’s ability to certify international students for student visas.

The suspension of the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification means that Harvard can no longer enroll foreign students, and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status, DHS said in a statement.

“This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told Harvard. “It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments.”

The suspension comes after Harvard failed to turn over information regarding international students’ illegal, dangerous or violent campus activities, including participation in and organization of antisemitic protests.

“Therefore, in the event the school fails to respond to this request within the timeframe provided above, SEVP will automatically withdraw the school’s certification,” said Noem’s April 16 letter, which set a deadline of April 30.

The Harvard Crimson previously reported the university only “partially” complied with DHS demands for information. 

Noem ruled the information provided by the university wasn’t enough, but gave it another chance.   

“As a courtesy that Harvard was not legally entitled to, the Acting DHS General Counsel responded on my behalf and afforded Harvard another opportunity to comply,” said Noem. “Harvard again provided an insufficient response.”  

Now, Noem said, “consequences” must be imposed in suspending foreign enrollments “to send a clear signal to Harvard and all universities that want to enjoy the privilege.” 

In the most recent letter to Harvard, Noem said Harvard still had 72 hours to comply with DHS’s request before losing SEVP certification.  

The suspension comes as two Israeli embassy staffers were assassinated in Washington, D.C., by a gunman from Chicago who supports Hamas.  

The gunman reportedly issued a manifesto that has circulated online calling for violence against Jews. 

College campuses have been hotbeds of antisemitism since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack on Israeli civilians that precipitated Israeli military action in Gaza. 

The anti-Jewish campus activities have led to investigations by the U.S. Department of Education and the House Education Committee into U.S. colleges, including Harvard. 

In addition to the charges of antisemitism, the DHS has criticized Harvard for soaring crime rates on campus, race-conscious hiring policies and taking money from foreign governments without proper oversight. 

Additionally, DHS alleges:   

• Harvard hosted and trained members of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), a CCP paramilitary group complicit in the Uyghur genocide, even after its 2020 designation on the U.S. Treasury’s Specially Designated Nationals List, with engagements continuing as recently as 2024. 

• Harvard researchers collaborated with China-based academics on projects funded by an Iranian government agent and partnered with Chinese universities tied to military advancements, including aerospace and optics research, using U.S. Department of Defense funds. 

• Harvard partnered with individuals linked to China’s defense-industrial base, including conducting robotics research with military applications. 

On Friday, Harvard filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the enrollment ban.