Harvard challenges Trump in court, international students anxious

BEIRUT — Harvard University challenged in court Thursday Donald Trump's decision to restrict access for new international students to its campus, a measure causing a shockwave for those affected.

In the midst of a campaign against universities he sees as incubators of "wokism," Donald Trump announced Wednesday night that it was "necessary to restrict entry to foreign nationals seeking to come to the United States to participate, exclusively or significantly, in a study program at Harvard University."

This measure applies immediately against "foreigners who enter or attempt to enter the United States to begin participating" in university programs. It is set to remain in effect for six months unless extended, he added.

On Thursday, Harvard contested this new measure by the Trump administration in the courts, which it sees as "part of a concerted, escalating campaign of retaliation" against the university for its refusal to yield to government pressure.

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At the end of May, the government had already attempted to prevent Harvard from admitting foreign students by withdrawing its SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor) certification, the main system through which foreign students are authorized to study in the United States.

This announcement caused considerable stress for students, until a federal court in Massachusetts, where Harvard is located, temporarily blocked this controversial measure — until Trump returned to the issue Wednesday night.

"I hold onto hope that Harvard will win this [legal] battle and that I can return next session," explains Alfred Williamson, a Danish-Welsh student at Harvard currently on summer vacation abroad, to AFP.

Those currently enrolled at Harvard, the oldest university in the United States and one of the world's top-ranked, will be subject to review and could have their visas "revoked" according to the decision announced on Wednesday.

"The Trump administration is doing everything it can to crush [our] dreams," says the 20-year-old student in physics and political science. "Trump targets Harvard because the university maintains integrity and refuses to succumb to his illegal and anti-American demands," he adds.

"Pawns"

Harvard is on the frontline of Donald Trump's war on higher education, as the university has refused, among other things, to submit to monitoring of its academic programs, staff, or students to maintain federal subsidies.

Washington has already cut around $3 billion in subsidies from the university, which called the new government measures against it "retaliation" on Wednesday.

"I knew it would be a long summer," summarizes an Indian Harvard student to AFP, refusing to publish their name for fear of government retaliation.

"What about students who went home for the summer? They might not be able to return," says another international student currently seeking to renew their visa.

In response to this new blow from Trump, Harvard could once again respond using its lawyers.

"We believe Harvard University will seek a preliminary injunction in federal court to temporarily suspend" this new decision, said Khensani Mathebula, an immigration attorney at Laura Devine. "At the same time, the university will need to act quickly" to protect its international students, she explains.

For Olivia Data, a fourth-year political science student at Harvard who has several foreign student friends, "this news is heartbreaking and frightening."

"Our friends and classmates are being used as pawns in a dictator's power grab," she warns. "None of us know where this will lead, nor if our university can protect its students in the current political system."