President Donald Trump has signed an order to stop new international students from getting visas to study at Harvard University. This is a big step in the government’s plan to limit foreign students from coming to the school.
The order temporarily stops most new international students from entering the U.S. with the usual student visas called F, M, and J. It also asks the Secretary of State to think about taking away those visas from current Harvard students who fit the rules.
About 27% of Harvard’s students come from other countries. This new rule came just days after a judge stopped an earlier attempt by the government to limit foreign students at Harvard.
A Harvard spokesperson said the university will keep protecting its international students. They called the order “an illegal and unfair move by the government that goes against Harvard’s rights.”
The White House said this visa ban is for national security. Officials claimed Harvard has connections to foreign countries and supports extreme ideas. They also said Harvard did not share enough information about its foreign students and only reported very few cases of rule-breaking.
This order does not affect students from other U.S. universities in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. It will last six months unless the government decides to extend it. Officials will check after 90 days to decide if it should continue.
The document says Harvard’s actions make it a bad place for foreign students and researchers.
China, which sends the second most students to the U.S., quickly criticized the decision. A Chinese official said education helps both countries and called the visa ban political interference.
This new rule came after a court said the government could not change Harvard’s visa program. This followed the government’s earlier effort to remove Harvard’s permission to accept foreign students because Harvard refused to share student behavior records.
Harvard said the government did not follow the proper steps and that this action was punishment because Harvard disagreed with the government’s ideas.
The government has often disagreed with Harvard over its campus programs, hiring, admissions, and how it deals with antisemitism and diversity. The U.S. Department of Education warned schools they could lose federal money if they don’t protect Jewish students or if they consider race in their decisions.
The government has also targeted Columbia University, saying it does not protect Jewish students well and does not meet rules for accreditation.
The government’s attention on Harvard increased after it sent a letter on March 31 to review all $9 billion in federal funding to the university. Harvard sued because $2.2 billion was frozen, which it said was punishment. Later, $450 million more was cut, and the government threatened to take away Harvard’s tax-exempt status.
Last week, the White House told all government agencies to stop contracts with Harvard, cutting about $100 million in funding.
