- WASHINGTON — Harvard University has sued the administration of US President
Donald Trump for a second time, one day after the Homeland Security Department
said it would block the prestigious university from enrolling international
students.
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- "The revocation continues a series of government
actions to retaliate against Harvard for our refusal to surrender our academic
independence and to submit to the federal government's illegal assertion of
control over our curriculum, our faculty, and our student body," Harvard
University President Alan Garber wrote in a letter to members of the Harvard
community on Friday.
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- "We condemn this unlawful and unwarranted action. It
imperils the futures of thousands of students and scholars across Harvard and
serves as a warning to countless others at colleges and universities throughout
the country who have come to America to pursue their education and fulfil their
dreams," Garber said.
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- The Harvard president said the university has just filed
a complaint, and a motion for a temporary restraining order will follow.
"As we pursue legal remedies, we will do everything in our power to
support our students and scholars," he added.
Read: Trump admin blocks Harvard from enrolling international students
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- US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the
decision on Thursday, reports Xinhua news agency.
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- "Let this serve as a warning to all universities and
academic institutions across the country," Noem said in a statement.
"Enrolling international students is a privilege -- not a right -- and
that privilege has been revoked due to Harvard's repeated failure to comply
with federal law."
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- The secretary noted that in addition to barring
enrollment of future international students, "existing foreign students
must transfer or lose their legal status."
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- On April 11, Trump administration officials sent a letter
to Harvard, demanding that the university make "meaningful governance
reform and restructuring."
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- The administration's main demands include eliminating
what it describes as antisemitism on campus and dismantling diversity
initiatives that favour certain minority groups.
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- On April 14, Harvard University rejected the Trump
administration's demands to make sweeping changes to its governance, hiring and
admissions practices.
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- Just a few hours later, the Trump administration
announced a freeze on 2.2 billion US dollars in multi-year grants and 60
million in multi-year contract value to the university.
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- On April 16, Noem demanded that Harvard University share
information about the foreign student visa holders' illegal and violent
activities by April 30, or risk losing its authorisation to enrol international
students.
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- On April 21, Harvard University said that it has filed a
federal lawsuit against the Trump administration's funding freeze, calling the
action "unlawful and beyond the government's authority".
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- As of the fall 2023 semester, international students made
up over 27 per cent of Harvard's student body, according to university data.
