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Harvard University said it would “not surrender its independence” and pushed back against the US government after Donald Trump’s administration threatened to cancel the visas of its foreign students.
The Ivy League university balked at the government’s demands a day after the president launched a move to begin stripping it of its tax-exempt status, escalating a stand-off with one of the country’s most august institutions.
In discussions over dinner with a group of pastors on Wednesday evening, the US president said no final decision had been made on changing Harvard’s tax status.
But he lashed out again at the university, calling it a “disgrace”. He added: “They are obviously antisemitic, and all of a sudden they are starting to behave.”
Harvard on Thursday said it would “not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights” and stressed: “We will continue to comply with the law and expect the administration to do the same.”
The reaction followed a statement from Kristi Noem, Homeland Security secretary, late on Wednesday, in which she cancelled two grants totalling $2.7mn and said that by the end of April Harvard must submit detailed records on its “foreign student visa holders’ illegal and violent activities” or be stripped of its Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification to oversee student visas.
Noem said: “Harvard bending the knee to antisemitism — driven by its spineless leadership — fuels a cesspool of extremist riots and threatens our national security.”
She alleged “anti-American, pro-Hamas ideology” was “poisoning” the university’s campus and classrooms, adding that “Harvard’s position as a top institution of higher learning is a distant memory”.
The university said: “Harvard values the rule of law and expects all members of our community to comply with university policies and applicable legal standards. If federal action is taken against a member of our community, we expect it will be based on clear evidence, follow established legal procedures, and respect the constitutional rights afforded to all individuals.”
The threat to visas marks a fresh pressure point after the suspension of $2.2bn in federal grants this week following Harvard’s rejection of the White House’s demands for tight government oversight of its operations.
It also reflects broader calls by Trump and several of his officials to declare war on the country’s elite universities.
However, the threat will fuel the tensions within the government between Maga populists calling for tighter controls on all immigration and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs including Elon Musk who support H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign immigrants. H-1B visas are typically issued to international students choosing to stay in the US after completing their studies in the country.
Fiona Hill, chancellor of Durham university in the UK and a member of Harvard’s Board of Overseers, said: “This is the end of the golden age of the American university.”
An alliance of networks of US universities earlier this month cautioned that 1mn international students attended the country’s colleges and universities and contributed about $43.8bn to the economy during the 2023-24 academic year.
Concern has been growing about hundreds of foreign students in the US whose visas have been revoked in recent weeks. Dozens of international students have been detained by immigration officials since Trump took office.
