US President Donald Trump has once again stirred controversy by proposing a strict cap on international student admissions at Harvard University, citing national security concerns and alleged ideological threats. Trump suggested that Harvard should limit its foreign student intake to 15 percent, compared to the current estimated 31 percent.
Trump: “Some Foreign Students Are Troublemakers”
In his remarks, Trump accused Harvard of admitting students from “radicalised areas of the world”, implying that some of them are “troublemakers” who threaten American safety.
“We don’t want to see shopping centres explode. We don’t want to see riots. Many of those students didn’t go anywhere—they were troublemakers, caused by the radical left,” Trump said.
He added that the US government must have access to foreign students’ conduct records, stating that Harvard should disclose which countries its students are from and if any of them have shown signs of being “radical.”
Harvard Pushes Back: Lawsuit Filed
Harvard University strongly opposed Trump’s earlier move to ban the institution from enrolling international students, calling it “unlawful and unwarranted.” The university:
- Filed a legal complaint against the administration.
- Sought a temporary restraining order.
- Argued that the move imperils thousands of academic careers and is retaliation for not complying with ideological mandates.
A federal judge has temporarily halted the Trump-era restrictions, according to CNN.
Trade Schools Over Harvard?
Trump also claimed that the billions invested in Harvard should be redirected to fund trade schools, linking them to future skills like AI development.
“Harvard has been a disaster. They’ve taken over $5 billion and shown total anti-Semitism. Every time they fight, they lose another $250 million. Why not use that for trade schools that teach people how to build AI?” Trump stated.
He reiterated that Harvard is “totally anti-Semitic,” echoing sentiments stirred by recent campus protests over Israel-Palestine tensions.
Background: SEVP Certification and Political Retaliation
The Trump administration’s move to revoke Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification was seen as a tactic to pressure Ivy League institutions into aligning with certain federal views. Harvard argued this was “ideological overreach”, as the government demanded:
- Full conduct records of international students.
- Viewpoint diversity audits.
Harvard resisted, asserting that such demands violated academic freedom and legal norms.
The clash between Trump’s populist-nationalist stance and elite academic institutions like Harvard continues to widen, with legal and cultural implications for international education, immigration, and freedom of thought in the U.S.