Trump tries to ban Harvard from enrolling international students
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Summary
Harvard University has been embroiled in a row with US President Donald Trump’s administration over its international student programme.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revoked its access to the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) on Thursday, which the university claimed could make nearly 6,800 of its international students instantly deportable.
The DHS accused Harvard of fostering violence and antisemitism on its campus, and said it was holding the university “accountable”.
The DHS had previously accused Harvard of failing to hand over information on its international students’ “illegal activity”, and also demanded to know whether action had been taken against those who took part in protests.
It threatened to revoke its SEVIS certification and on Friday Harvard filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, claiming it had violated the university’s First Amendment rights.
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the DHS’s attempt to revoke Harvard’s SEVIS certification.