Donald Trump is taking aim at Harvard University again. This time, he’s calling for the school to release the names and countries of all its international students. Trump says it’s a reasonable request because the US gives Harvard billions of dollars, but the university won’t share this information.
Trump made the demand on Truth Social, just days after a federal judge blocked his order to strip Harvard of its right to accept international students. The judge, Allison Burroughs, was appointed by former President Obama. She issued a temporary stay on the order, which claimed Harvard wasn’t doing enough to protect Jewish students from anti-Semitic ideologies.
Trump’s latest post doesn’t explain how his administration would use the information or which part of the government would manage it. The move comes after Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen sent a letter to Harvard’s administrators, saying the university’s participation in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) would be terminated, effective immediately.
Nielsen accused Harvard of supporting violence, anti-Semitism, and collaborating with the Chinese Communist Party. She also said all international students at Harvard would have to transfer to another university to stay in the US. Harvard sued the Trump administration, arguing the order violates the US Constitution’s First Amendment, which protects free speech, and the 14th Amendment, which guarantees equal rights and protections.
The Trump administration is targeting top US universities, including Harvard, which they claim aren’t doing enough to protect Jewish students from anti-Semitic ideologies. A new budget bill being considered in Congress would also increase taxes on investments made by wealthy private universities.
Source: usatoday