Trump goes after Harvard international students, leaving global elite and academic freedom in doubt

Trump goes after Harvard international students

A high-stakes court fight between Donald Trump's administration and Harvard University has put the academic futures of thousands of foreign students — including global movers and shakers such as Princess Elisabeth of Belgium and Cleo Carney, the daughter of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney — in doubt, the First Post reported.

Central to the controversy is the Trump administration's action of revoking Harvard's capacity to admit new foreign students, in response to the university's failure to provide in-depth information regarding its foreign students. Although a US judge has since granted a temporary restraining order to stop the policy, the administration's ruling — if sustained — would ban Harvard from enrolling foreign students for two academic years and require current visa holders to switch schools.

Harvard's global reputation in jeopardy

Harvard has long been a magnet for the world's elite, admitting princes and presidents, CEOs and billionaires' kids. But the new policy imperils that status.

Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, who is studying for a Master's in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, is one of those affected. Belgium's Royal Palace announced that it was keeping close tabs on the situation to decide if the 23-year-old future monarch can continue studying next year.

Equally affected is Cleo Carney, who just finished her first year of undergraduate studies at Harvard. She is among the several hundred Canadian students who could be affected if the enrolment ban goes through.

The consequences extend beyond students themselves. Harvard reported in court documents that the administration's directive would have an "immediate and devastating impact" on its 7,000 international visa holders. The university, already hit with federal funding freezes and threats to its tax-exempt status under Trump, stated it is battling the ban not only to safeguard its community, but also in defence of the independence of all private universities in the US.

From data requests to legal war

The current crisis started on April 16, when Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called on Harvard to provide detailed information about its international students — a call that critics labelled as politically driven and possibly connected to crackdowns on campus protests. Harvard declined, citing privacy and constitutional issues.

In turn, the Trump administration acted to withdraw the school's ability to welcome new international students. Harvard promptly sued, labelling the move "unlawful" and a First Amendment violation, reported the Associated Press. The court issued a temporary restraining order, but the ultimate decision is far from determined.

If the policy is permitted to go ahead, Harvard warns, the university will have to reroute foreign students to other universities in order to maintain their visa status. This would drastically reduce access to US top-tier education by top foreign talent and harm the reputation of the country as a destination for global academics.

A wider campaign against higher education

The Trump-Harvard standoff is merely the most recent in a series of showdowns between the administration and elite universities. Trump has branded top schools as promoting a progressive, "woke" ideology and has already held $2.2 billion worth of federal research funding at Harvard in abeyance pending further examination. He has also sought to strip the institution of its tax-exempt status.

For now, the university is vowing to fight back, saying in a statement: “We’re fighting this not just for Harvard, but for the independence of all private universities.”

As legal proceedings unfold, students like Princess Elisabeth and Cleo Carney are left in limbo — symbols of a broader conflict where education, politics, and international mobility intersect. The outcome of this case may redefine the role elite US institutions play on the global stage for years to come.