Fighting Against a Crimson Exodus

May 26th, 2025

Ian Cheng

In the latest development in a series of disagreements between the Donald Trump administration and Harvard University, the school can no longer enroll international students. Even though Harvard is private, it still requires government permission to use the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS.) The ban has come from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revoking Harvard’s certification to use SEVIS, meaning that even if its international students have valid visas, Harvard can no longer register them into the system.

So as long as foreign students stay enrolled at Harvard, they are deportable because there’s no information that they are allowed to stay in the US. For newly admitted students, they cannot receive the documentation that they need for visas. The US government has large control over who enters the country and they are leveraging that against Harvard citing an “antisemitic and pro-Hamas environment, along with racist diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.”

However, less than a day later, Harvard once again took the conflict to court, and received a restraining order. The ban will be lifted for now, but everything is still up in the air until a hearing on May 29th. International students are still in limbo and may have to look into transferring to other institutions.

The legal situation is exceedingly complicated. It won’t just be about the international student ban, but about all of the different aspects of this conflict. The reasoning used for the restraining order were “human costs,” in other words, the 7,000 international students at Harvard will experience severe disruptions. But, this doesn’t directly oppose the Trump administration’s greater desires, which are to address antisemitism, deliberalize elite education, and fundamentally change “race-based” admissions policy and academic curriculum.

Harvard can draw upon several arguments to defend themselves, such as their freedom to decide their actions via the First Amendment, which Cornell immigration law professor Stephen Yale-Loehr says is very strong. He also says that Harvard could assert that the Trump administration is violating privacy rights by asking for behavioral records of its international students. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem set the handover of those records as a condition for the international student ban to be cancelled, but Harvard has clearly sought other avenues to deal with the federal government. The Institute for Policy Integrity quantifies that 93% of the time, the Trump administration fails when its policy decisions are challenged in court.

On the other hand, courts have sometimes let the Trump administration have its way, especially the Supreme Court, which allowed the government to terminate temporary deportation protections for 350,000 Venezuelans. These protections were given by a California judge, showing that Trump has already had some success at getting what he wants.

This ban could lead to a massive economic hit. International students in the United States bring almost $44 billion to the economy, and the Trump administration’s action could deter the enrollment of these students in other universities for years to come as well. It's clear that the academic environment is not ideal, and too political. Harvard graduates are also successful. Ramp Financial, co-founded by former undergraduate and international student Karim Atiyeh, is worth $13 billion. These startups provide financial benefits via jobs and extra services on the national market.

With Harvard once again angering the federal government, further consequences are possible. For example, the threat of the revocation of the university’s tax exempt status could become reality, costing the elite school nearly $850 million a year. The Trump administration’s attack on Harvard consists of eight major investigations, covering fields like health, law, and education. It will likely intensify if Harvard gets a major win in court next week.

The situation has spread globally as well. The future queen of Belgium is a rising sophomore at Harvard and she also stands to be affected by the international student ban. This could add on to the loss of EU trust in the United States. The battle between Harvard and the Trump administration is difficult and multifaceted, and it's all up to the US judiciary system to make the right decisions in favor of what’s best for the United States.