Washington: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order blocking almost all foreign students from entering the country to attend Harvard University. The decision came as part of his dispute with Ivy League school, which has a large international student population, nearly 25% of its total students.
In the order signed on Wednesday, Trump claimed that allowing foreign students to attend Harvard could harm the national security of United States. He said Harvard’s actions had made it an “unsuitable destination” for foreign students and researchers, as reported by The Associated Press.
The White House announced that new foreign students admitted to Harvard will not be allowed to enter the US on student visas like F, M, or J. It also said the Secretary of State should consider cancelling the visas of current international students who match the criteria laid out in the executive order.
The conflict began when the Department of Homeland Security asked Harvard to provide records about foreign students who were allegedly involved in misconduct. While Harvard said it had complied with the request, government officials claimed that the university’s response was incomplete. They also criticized the university for not reporting enough details about three particular students.
Last week, a federal court in Boston had blocked an earlier attempt by the Department of Homeland Security to restrict foreign students at Harvard. However, Trump’s new order uses a different legal path, making it harder to challenge in court.
In the last three weeks, Trump also accused Harvard of having ties to unfriendly foreign countries. He claimed that nearly one-third of foreign students at Harvard could pose a national security threat. The university refused to give Trump a list of all its international students, which added fuel to the dispute.
Earlier, Trump also cut off billions of dollars in federal support to Harvard. This included $2.2 billion in research grants and $450 million in other financial aid.
