Harvard Sues Trump Over Ban On International Students Enrolment
Harvard University has filed a federal lawsuit against the President Donald Trump administration after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revoked its certification to enroll international students.
In a lawsuit filed before a federal court on Friday, the university called the move unlawful and retaliatory, saying it violates Harvard’s constitutional rights and threatens the integrity of American higher education.
Havard accused the government of punishing it for refusing to comply with demands that “seek to control Harvard’s governance, curriculum, and the ‘ideology’ of its faculty and students.”
The suit claims the decision is “the latest act by the government in clear retaliation for Harvard exercising its First Amendment rights.”
DHS Secretary, Kristi Noem, announcing the revocation on Thursday, said Harvard refused to turn over five years of conduct records for international students, particularly those involved in protests.
In a letter posted online, Noem Harvard 72 hours to comply or risk continued loss of its ability to host foreign students.
“Harvard can no longer enroll foreign students and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status,” DHS said in a statement.
According to the BBC, nearly 7,000 international students which make up to 27% of the university’s population are affected by the announcement.
The White House has defended the decision, claiming that Harvard has “turned their once-great institution into a hotbed of anti-American, anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist agitators.” It also accused the university of “racist diversity, equity and inclusion practices.”
Harvard’s lawsuit rebukes the administration’s actions.
The university spokesperson Jason Newton, stated that “This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission.”
The lawsuit argues that DHS is unlawfully targeting the university’s international students to pressure changes unrelated to immigration.
“The government’s demand for an ‘audit’ of the viewpoints of students and staff goes far beyond the role of federal oversight and violates Harvard’s rights under the Constitution,” the complaint states.
Harvard has made some changes, including renaming its diversity office, but refuses to comply with what it sees as overreach by the Trump administration.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has frozen $2.2bn in federal funding to the university and is considering revoking its tax-exempt status.
“This is not just an attack on Harvard,” said former university president Larry Summers.
“It is an attack on the idea of a free and open academic institution,” she added.
Harvard is asking the court for an immediate injunction to block the DHS order and restore its ability to host international students.
Harvard Sues Trump Over Ban On International Students Enrolment is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
