DHS threatens to revoke Harvard's eligibility to host foreign students
By Taylor Romine, Nouran Salahieh, Hanna Park and Andy Rose, CNN
Updated 11:11 AM EDT, Thu April 17, 2025
The Trump administration has significantly dialed up its pressure on Harvard University, not only freezing $2 billion in federal funding but now threatening its eligibility to host international students after school leaders refused to make key policy changes the White House also is demanding of other elite US colleges.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem sent Harvard “a scathing letter demanding detailed records on Harvard’s foreign student visa holders’ illegal and violent activities by April 30, 2025, or face immediate loss of Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification,” her agency said Wednesday in a news release that refers to antisemitism but does not detail specific incidents.
It accuses Harvard of creating a “hostile learning environment” for Jewish students. “It is a privilege to have foreign students attend Harvard University, not a guarantee,” reads the letter, which a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson gave CNN after some of its details first were reported by the student-run Harvard Crimson.
Harvard is aware of the letter and stands by its previous statement that it “will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” a spokesperson for the university said late Wednesday ...
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/16/us/harvard-kristi-noem-international-students/index.html