President Donald Trump escalated his standoff with Harvard University over the school's international student population, demanding the names and nationalities of all non-citizen enrollees, just days after a federal judge temporarily blocked his administration's attempt to revoke the university's ability to host foreign students.
"Why isn't Harvard saying that almost 31% of their students are from FOREIGN LANDS, and yet those countries, some not at all friendly to the United States, pay NOTHING toward their student's education?" Trump wrote Sunday on Truth Social. "We want to know who those foreign students are... Harvard isn't exactly forthcoming."
The post followed the Trump administration's move to revoke Harvard's certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), which allows institutions to admit non-immigrant international students. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, in a letter Thursday, said the revocation was necessary to hold the university "accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus."
A federal court temporarily blocked the revocation on Friday, granting Harvard's request for a restraining order. Judge Allison Burroughs scheduled a hearing for Thursday to determine whether the block should be extended.
"This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard's academic and research mission," the university said in a statement.
Harvard President Alan Garber praised the court's decision as "a critical step to protect the rights and opportunities of our international students and scholars, who are vital to the University's mission and community."
According to Harvard, international students represent 27.2% of the student body, or approximately 6,793 individuals for the 2024-2025 academic year. These students are not eligible for federal financial aid and typically fund their own tuition.
Tensions between the Ivy League institution and the Trump administration have been building since March, when federal authorities froze more than $2.2 billion in grants and contracts. The move came after Harvard refused to comply with a wide-ranging records request demanding data on student visa-holders, course enrollment, and any alleged illegal activity.
The school responded that it would provide "information required by law" but rejected what it viewed as excessive overreach. "Our thousands of international students who hail from more than 140 countries enrich the University community-and this nation-immeasurably with their presence and contributions," Harvard Executive Vice President Meredith Weenick said in a written statement.
Trump's Sunday remarks repeated criticisms that Harvard has become a haven for "students who can't add two and two," citing the university's newly launched remedial math course. "So why would they get in?" he asked.
Critics say the administration's targeting of Harvard reflects a broader Republican campaign to root out perceived left-wing ideology from elite academic institutions. Trump's push has also come amid mounting conservative pressure over campus protests tied to the Israel-Hamas war and scrutiny over antisemitism on U.S. college campuses.
