Less than 24 hours after closing America’s borders to foreign nationals planning to attend Harvard University, President Donald Trump hinted that the school might soon abandon its defiant stance.
During a Thursday press conference with the German chancellor, Trump commented that he thinks Harvard is “starting to behave” following his Wednesday night proclamation banning student visa holders who are prospective Harvard attendees from entering the country.
Trump’s proclamation — the latest attack on a school with a history of antisemitic incidents, weak donor transparency, and racial discrimination — circumvents a court order blocking the administration from terminating Harvard’s foreign student visa program outright.
The statement also instructs Secretary of State Marco Rubio to “consider” revoking the visas of current Harvard students who are foreign nationals, citing national security concerns.
“Harvard University is no longer a trustworthy steward of international student and exchange visitor programs,” the president wrote. “Considering these facts, I have determined that it is necessary to restrict the entry of foreign nationals who seek to enter the United States solely or principally to participate in a course of study at Harvard University or in an exchange visitor program hosted by Harvard University.”
Harvard has so far refused to disclose a full list of its foreign student enrollees to the Department of Homeland Security, a major reason for the foreign student ban. The administration has also threatened to freeze the school’s federal funding, remove its tax-exempt status, and cut federal contracts if the university remains obstinate to executive demands.
Trump previously said he “want[s] to have foreign students” but also wants to “make sure that the foreign students are people that can love our country.”
“When a university refuses to uphold its legal obligations, including its recordkeeping and reporting obligations, the consequences ripple far beyond the campus,” the proclamation adds. “They jeopardize the integrity of the entire United States student and exchange visitor visa system, compromise national security, and embolden other institutions to similarly disregard the rule of law.”
