AsianFin – U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation to halt visas for new students at Harvard University, the White House announced Wednesday, amid his ongoing battle against the elite university.
The proclamation prohibits nearly all new international students from studying at Harvard. It also directs the Secretary of State “to consider revoking” F, M and J visas for current Harvard students who meet the proclamation’s “criteria,” the White House said in a statement.
Harvard’s ability to admit international students, which make up about 27% of the student body, is put into limbo once again, following a federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to remove foreign students from America’s oldest and wealthiest university days ago.
Harvard is clashing with the White House on two major fronts. In addition to a legal battle over federal funding cuts of over $2 billion, the university is also fighting to keep its tax-exempt status. The disputed funds remain frozen as the case awaits a court hearing next month.
The White House said that the actions are necessary to “safeguard national security,” accusing Harvard of having “concerning foreign ties and radicalism.” The announcement allege the university failed to adequately report information on foreign students, providing “deficient” documentation on only three individuals.
“Harvard is either not fully reporting its disciplinary records for foreign students or is not seriously policing its foreign students,” the White House said. It also criticized the university for not adequately addressing antisemitism and for its ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion—practices Trump has denounced as “illegal and immoral discrimination.”
The latest presidential proclamation bars entry of certain foreign nationals but includes exemptions for those whose presence is deemed to serve the national interest. It does not apply to international students enrolled at other U.S. institutions through the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), which is overseen by ICE. The order is set to last six months, with the Attorney General and Homeland Security Secretary tasked with recommending its continuation within 90 days.
“Harvard’s conduct has rendered it an unsuitable destination for foreign students and researchers,” the proclamation declares.
The move quickly drew criticism from China, the second-largest source of international students in the U.S. “China has always opposed the politicization of educational cooperation,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian at a press conference.
This latest action came the same day the president issued a broader travel ban affecting 12 countries including Afghanistan and Syria, with additional restrictions on seven more.
Unlike executive orders, presidential proclamations generally lack the same legal weight, though Trump has increasingly used them to signal policy intentions, citing existing legal authority.
Observers see the proclamation as a retaliatory move following the university’s recent legal victory. A federal judge last week temporarily blocked Homeland Security from expelling Harvard from the SEVP.
U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs, an Obama appointee, stated in court, “I want to make sure that the status quo is clearly maintained to the extent that we can make that happen,” as she imposed an indefinite order preventing changes to Harvard’s visa program.
