The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is threatening the United States’ oldest university with a ban on enrolling foreign students.
DHS is demanding list of foreign students from the University who have taken part in pro-Palestine protests.
Homeland Security is of the view that these measures are essential for tracking down students who are involved in antisemitism on campus.
Foreign students make up twenty seven percent of Harvard’s total enrolment this year, and the administration of Harvard is determined not to bow down to these demands.
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“The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” Harvard President Alan Garber wrote in a message on Monday to the Harvard community.
“Harvard can no longer be considered even a decent place of learning, and should not be considered on any list of the World’s Great Universities or Colleges,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused Harvard of threatening the national security of the US, this Wednesday.
What the Trump Administration is doing to Harvard is no isolated event. Earlier, Columbia University came under fire of the explicit policy of the Administration to crack down on pro-Palestine students.
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All of this is being down under the antisemitism task force which was formed in February and has, since then, identified sixty US universities for review, on policies related to antisemitism.
Top US universities, including Harvard and Columbia, had to make concessions and give up their autonomy in certain matters as they were faced with an imminent threat of funding cuts.
Last month, Harvard had to dismiss executives from its Center for Middle Eastern Studies, who came under fire for failing to represent Israeli perspectives.
It is an open secret now that Jewish lobby in the US is actively pushing for these aggressive measures and the Trump administration is accomodating these demands on a priority basis.
Nuzhat Rana is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
