President Trump sharply criticized the countries paying “nothing” toward their citizens’ education when attending U.S. institutions, such as Harvard.
The Trump administration is currently considering revoking Harvard’s ability to enroll foreign students.
“Why isn’t Harvard saying that almost 31% of their students are from FOREIGN LANDS, and yet those countries, some not at all friendly to the United States, pay NOTHING toward their student’s education, nor do they ever intend to. Nobody told us that!” Trump wrote on social media. “We want to know who those foreign students are, a reasonable request since we give Harvard BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, but Harvard isn’t exactly forthcoming. We want those names and countries. Harvard has $52,000,000, use it, and stop asking for the Federal Government to continue GRANTING money to you!”
A judge on Friday temporarily blocked the administration from canceling the student visa program at Harvard.
Harvard sued the federal government, arguing that the Trump policy would affect over 7,000 visa holders. The administration’s policy would also be a “blatant violation of the First Amendment, the Due Process Clause, and the Administrative Procedure Act,” its court filing said.
“It is the latest act by the government in clear retaliation for Harvard exercising its First Amendment rights to reject the government’s demands to control Harvard’s governance, curriculum, and the 'ideology' of its faculty and students,” Harvard said.
The Department of Homeland Security attempted to terminate the university’s visa program after it reportedly failed to provide extensive behavioral records of student visa holders, after DHS requested them. Those records would have included any footage of any protest activity that involved student visa holders, as well as the disciplinary records of all student visa holders over the past five years.
They also included any footage or documentation of illegal, dangerous or violent activity by student visa holders, or any records of threats or the deprivation of rights of other students or university personnel, according to Fox News.