Harvard University has sued to stop the administration from shutting down its pipeline of foreign students, saying it was unconstitutional retaliation for the school not bowing to President Trump’s wishes.
Amid a wave of harsh criticism by Mr. Trump, the school cast itself as a bulwark against an imperious president.
But the core of the massive 72-page lawsuit filed Friday argues that Homeland Security acted arbitrarily in targeting Harvard, a school that Mr. Trump and his team have had it in for.
“With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body,” the school said.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who announced the decision to boot Harvard from the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, said it was a response to the school’s failure to comply with records requests demanding information about safety and antisemitic activity on the campus.
But she also made clear Harvard was being used as an example.
SEE ALSO: DHS bans Harvard from enrolling foreign students over school’s ‘pro-terrorist conduct,’ Noem says
“Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country,” the secretary said.
Harvard, in its lawsuit, said it had worked “diligently” to get Ms. Noem the documents she demanded. Ms. Noem saw it differently, saying the school “brazenly” rebuffed the inquiries.
Harvard said that was a smoke screen for what’s really going on.
“DHS’s revocation letter leaves no doubt that the revocation is part of DHS’s campaign to coerce Harvard into surrendering its First Amendment rights,” the school said. “Or put another way: because the administration perceives that members of Harvard’s community have the wrong viewpoints, Harvard will be punished until it alters its viewpoints to satisfy the administration’s demands.”
Harvard had about 6,800 international students in the school year that’s just ending, or about 27% of the total enrollment. That’s up dramatically from two decades ago, when they were less than 4,000 students, and less than 20% of the student body.
Harvard has also sued to stop the Trump administration from blocking billions of dollars in federal grant money.
SEE ALSO: China criticizes U.S. ban on Harvard’s international students
Harvard is requesting that a judge restore the school’s status in the foreign student program and block Homeland Security from booting the university in the future.
One of Harvard’s lawyers on the case is Robert K. Hur, a former U.S. attorney in Mr. Trump’s first term and the man who served as the special counsel in the investigation into President Biden’s handling of classified documents from before he was president.
Ms. Noem’s order shuts down the school’s ability to host foreign and exchange students — those holding F or J visas — starting in the 2025-2026 school year.
Students affected would have to transfer to another school or try to find another visa status to remain in the U.S.
The school said it is already working on its incoming summer students and its fall class. It said it has already admitted thousands of students and cannot comply with the demand for those school terms.
“Effective immediately, countless academic programs, research laboratories, clinics, and courses supported by Harvard’s international students have been thrown into disarray,” the school said. “The government’s actions come just days before graduation.
“Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard,” the school said.
