Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — Harvard University has filed a federal lawsuit against the administration of President Donald Trump, over the ban on foreign students from attending U.S. campuses and threatens them with deportation. The university is protesting the directive from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), challenging what it calls a “reckless” policy targeting international students.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court, argues that the Trump administration unlawfully removed Harvard from the federal Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), which allows international students to study in the United States.
“This is the latest act of retaliation by the government against Harvard for exercising its First Amendment rights to resist federal attempts to control the university’s governance, curriculum, and campus ideology,” the lawsuit stated, as reported by CNN.
Harvard is urging the court to issue an immediate injunction to block DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s order, which effectively strips the school’s ability to host foreign students in the upcoming 2025–2026 academic year.
Earlier, Trump had ordered U.S. universities to suspend admission of foreign students, including those on scholarships. The administration also instructed that current international students at Harvard be transferred to other institutions, or face revocation of their legal residency status if they fail to comply.
The directive came from DHS, which formally decertified Harvard’s participation in the international student exchange program. Secretary Noem claimed the university was “promoting violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party,” according to Reuters.
“It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and profit from their higher tuition fees to grow billion-dollar endowments,” Noem said.
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Harvard swiftly condemned the administration’s action, calling it extreme and illegal. The university warned it would disrupt the academic careers of thousands of students and could invite international backlash.
The move marks a sharp escalation in tensions between the Trump administration and elite U.S. universities, particularly those in the Ivy League. Harvard had previously refused to hand over student visa records requested by Noem.
According to Reuters, Harvard had approximately 6,800 international students enrolled for the 2025–2026 academic year, representing 27% of its total student body.
Chinese students accounted for the largest group of foreign enrollees in 2022, with 1,016 students, followed by students from India, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Singapore, and Japan.
(Raidi/Agung)
