WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump ramped up his campaign against top US universities Wednesday, banning visas for all foreign students coming to attend Harvard and threatening to strip Columbia of its academic accreditation.
Trump is seeking to bring the universities to heel with claims their international students pose a national security threat, and that they ignored anti-Semitism on campus and perpetuate liberal bias.
A proclamation issued by the White House late Wednesday declared that the entrance of international students to begin a course at Harvard would be “suspended and limited” for six months and that existing overseas enrollees could have their visas terminated.
“Harvard’s conduct has rendered it an unsuitable destination for foreign students and researchers,” the order said.
Karl Molden, a Harvard government and classics student from Austria, said: “I’m trembling. This is outrageous.”
“He is abusing his executive power to harm Harvard as much as he can,” Molden told AFP.
“My god!” said another international student at Harvard, who declined to be identified for fear of retribution.
“This is such a disgrace.”
China’s foreign ministry vowed on Thursday to “resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of its overseas students.”
“China has always opposed the politicization of educational cooperation,” ministry spokesman Lin Jian said, adding that the measure would “harm America’s image and international credibility.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio promised last week to “aggressively revoke visas” for Chinese students, a move condemned by Beijing.
Wednesday’s announcement followed the Trump administration’s earlier efforts to terminate Harvard’s right to enroll and host foreign students were stalled by a judge.
The government already cut around $3.2 billion of federal grants and contracts benefiting Harvard and pledged to exclude the Cambridge, Massachusetts, institution from any future federal funding.
Harvard has been at the forefront of Trump’s campaign against top universities after it defied his calls to submit to oversight of its curriculum, staffing, student recruitment and “viewpoint diversity.”
Trump has also singled out international students at Harvard, who accounted for 27 percent of total enrollment in the 2024-2025 academic year and are a major source of income.
“This is yet another illegal retaliatory step taken by the Administration in violation of Harvard’s First Amendment rights,” a university spokesman said.
“Harvard will continue to protect its international students.”
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