UNLAWFUL| President describes students as “not at all friendly to the United States”

Education Desk Mumbai

U.S. President Donald Trump has defended his administration’s controversial attempt to revoke Harvard University’s ability to admit international students, just days after a federal judge stepped in to suspend the decision.

In a strongly worded post on his platform, Truth Social, Trump claimed that nearly 31% of Harvard's student body consists of foreign nationals, many from countries he described as “not at all friendly to the United States.” He argued that these nations do not contribute financially to the education of their citizens studying at American universities like Harvard.

"Why isn’t Harvard saying that almost 31% of their students are from foreign lands, and yet those countries pay nothing toward their students’ education?" Trump wrote. "We want to know who those foreign students are—a reasonable request since we give Harvard billions of dollars, but Harvard isn’t exactly forthcoming."

Trump also pointed to Harvard’s endowment, which stands at approximately $52 billion, urging the university to rely on its own resources instead of seeking federal grants.

The administration’s move to strip Harvard of its Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification was formally communicated by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The revocation would have prevented the university from enrolling new international students and jeopardised the legal status of thousands already enrolled.

However, the Biden administration quickly challenged the decision in court. On Friday, a U.S. district judge in Boston issued a temporary block on the move, giving Harvard breathing room to contest what it 

has described as an “unconstitutional and devastating action.”

In a legal filing, the university argued that the sudden revocation would force over 7,000 international students out of the system and undermine academic continuity. “With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body,” the university said, adding that international students “contribute significantly to the university and its mission.”

For now, the fate of thousands of international students—including nearly 800 from India—hangs in the balance as legal proceedings continue.