Trump Administration Halts Harvard's Ability to Enroll International Students

[demmiblue]

Source: NYT

The Trump administration on Thursday halted Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students, a major escalation in the administration’s efforts to pressure the college to fall in line with the president’s agenda.

The administration notified Harvard about the decision after a back-and-forth in recent days over the legality of a sprawling records request as part of the Department of Homeland Security’s investigation, according to three people with knowledge of the negotiations.

“I am writing to inform you that effective immediately, Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification is revoked,” according to a letter sent to the university by Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary. A copy of the letter was obtained by The New York Times.

Spokesmen for the Department of Homeland Security and Harvard did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/us/politics/trump-harvard-international-students.html

[wcmagumba]

1. Seems illegal to me, not a lawyer though...

[markodochartaigh]

2. How does a president prove that he can do anything that he wants?

By constantly doing things that the courts and Congress say that he can't do.

[GB_RN]

11. Cantaloupe Caligula The Corpulent...

And his minion, Noem the Gnome, will lose this fight. This is nothing less than “arbitrary and capricious” retaliation. A judge will slap them so hard with an injunction, the two of them will be feeling it the following week.

I bet Harvard’s lawyers are on speed dial and will have paperwork filed before tomorrow morning.

[0rganism]

13. What prevents F47 et al from simply ignoring said injunction?

In the end, without a means to enforce a ruling against the very set of institutions tasked specifically with enforcement of such rulings, injunctive relief amounts to a legalistic version of Sen. Schumer's "strongly worded letter".

For any of this to have impact, SCOTUS will first need to declare openly and in very certain terms that public employees who've taken the oath of service must not obey unlawful orders, and any protection offered them for "just following orders" becomes vacated if those orders are found to be unlawful. This is not in itself a solution, but I see it as a prerequisite to re-establish institutional legitimacy in America.

At this point, any potential foreign students smart enough to get in to Harvard should be looking for other schools anyway. The risk of coming here is simply too "great."

[GB_RN]

22. The Courts Have Options...

A judge can find say, Noem in contempt. The US Marshals are under the control of the AG, true, but issuing a bench warrant and trying to toss the offender in the clink until they basically surrender, well, that’s not the only option. Financial penalties can be levied for every day that person is not in compliance with the court’s orders. Noem, Bondi, etc., aren’t rich enough that they can withstand fines that increase exponentially by the day. And you know that Caligula isn’t going to pay the fines. When the fine starts at say, $1000, I suspect that it wouldn’t take too long before the individual(s) in question would start squealing “Uncle!”

[nowforever]

3. Abuse of power at highest level

So in the future we can now declare all tantrum driven decisions emanating from the POTUS are automatically considered settled law and backed by the constitution as interpreted by current Supreme Court. So he is not a dictator but a teller of truth the oracle of all that is...so the GREATEST EVER ORANGE ONE truly is the second coming.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. If only the people who run Harvard knew some lawyers. NT

[Vinca]

5. I smell a big, beautiful lawsuit in the making.

[FailureToCommunicate]

6. Harvard's graduate programs do so much to spread democracy and good governance in

other nations of the world.

Another blow to "soft power" beyond our borders.

All part of Putin's and Krasnov's plan.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

7. Here's the press release from Truck Stop Hooker Barbie.

https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/05/22/harvard-university-loses-student-and-exchange-visitor-program-certification-pro

Harvard University brazenly refused to provide the required information requested and ignored a follow up request from the Department’s Office of General Council. Secretary Noem is following through on her promise to protect students and prohibit terrorist sympathizers from receiving benefits from the U.S. government.

The word you’re looking for is …

[delisen]

10. "brazenly" ..??? Who is writing this stuff?

[Dock_Yard]

17. Low IQ rethugs don't know "counsel" from "council" -- and of course, don't care.

[C_U_L8R]

8. Noem can't figure out what Very Tas means.

So she's lashing out ab irato.

[Johonny]

9. The law suit from this is going to be epic

However, the damage to American academia will only be prevented by an immediate injunction.

This appears not only criminal, but the grounds for a huge civil settlement.

Norm, a complete moron, does not understand the can of court ass kicking she just opened up.

[Dock_Yard]

18. Norm!! [RIP]

Just havin' a little fun with your accidental typo...

[Hekate]

14. How is this even legal?

[Cha]

15. Fuck Nazi Wannabe Mump. Keep your GD Nose Out

Of Harvard's Business!

[creeksneakers2]

16. Trump destroys national treasures without a second thought.

[IronLionZion]

19. Make America Stupid Again

they want to bring the whole country down to MAGA level of intellectual ability

[Warpy]

20. None of the executive branch's business

Harvard will tell him to go to hell. They will sic their entire law school on him to make it stick.

For those who don't know, Harvard is not a state school in any regard. They accept government grants for research, and that's what King Spitball has tried to stop because brown people. Musk and Thiel want to make room for Boers from South Af4rica and Spitball thinks he can wave his sceptre and make everybody who isn't northern European go away.

Not going to happen.

[LisaL]

21. Lawsuits can take years.

Meanwhile this administration will remove visas from already enrolled students and won't issue any to the potential new ones.

[muriel_volestrangler]

23. The DHS Press Release is straight out of Dr. Strangelove

If someone sent this to you in an email you would delete it.

— Evan Bernick, a finite mode with a smol hooman and a lorg floof (@evanbernick.bsky.social) 2025-05-22T19:23:05.261Z

If they're invoking the Chinese Communist Party, then surely Kennedy will be close behind with the claim that Harvard is adding fluoride to children's ice-cream.

Only a few hours ago I posted that "saying something like "the United Nations is a good idea" would be taken as "supporting terrorism" by the Trump regime. Or, in the case of universities, having any foreign students". It seems they've decide to combine the two at once - "Harvard supports terrorism, therefore it must not be allowed foreign students".

[Evolve Dammit]

24. Thanks for this. Looking at the course timelines, many are due June of this year to complete. Looks like they have

been offered for a year. Any insight as to whether that would be an issue if one were to sign up now?
Thanks again,
ED