TEHRAN – President Trump has argued from the beginning of his second term that he has strengthened the war with Elite American University, promoted anti-Semitism and leaned towards certain ideologies.
His administration advocates as an anti-Israel and anti-Semitism-friendly diversity or admission policy, warning agencies such as Columbia, Northwestern, Cornell and Harvard that use authority to cut or freeze federal funds or cut or freeze federal funds if they limit academic freedom.
This broader effort aims to exercise political control over higher education through executive orders and regulatory pressures.
Against this backdrop, the recent revocation of Harvard’s accreditation by Secretary of Homeland Security Christie Noem to enroll international students shows a sharp escalation.
This unprecedented action puts the risk of losing legal status to around 7,000 foreign students and weaponizing immigration policies against Harvard in response to university opposition from government policies. This action underscores the willingness of the administration to use federal government power to suppress dissent, control political expression, and force ideological uniformity in higher education, setting dangerous precedents and endangering free exchange of ideas at American universities and universities.
Pollution: What happened?
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has revoked Harvard University’s accreditation under the Student and Exchange Visitors Program (SEVP). This allows US universities to register international students and issue visa documents. This revocation means that Harvard will no longer be able to recognize new international students and that around 6,800 currently registered (27% of student organizations) are at risk of transferring to other accredited bodies or losing their legal status in the United States.
The administration justified this unprecedented action by accusing Harvard of cultivating an unsafe campus environment characterized by violence, anti-Semitism, and cooperation with the Chinese Communist Party.
Secretary Christy Noem said there was ample opportunity for Harvard to comply with the broad student record request, including disciplinary files and surveillance data on the protest, but declined. She framed the registration of international students as a “privilege,” claiming that Harvard University exploited these students for the benefit of tuition and donation.
Harvard’s reaction: illegal and retaliatory
Harvard quickly condemned the decision as illegal and retaliatory, highlighting its commitment to supporting international students and academics from over 140 countries that enrich both the university and the country. University spokesman Jason Newton described the move as “a serious threat to the Harvard community and our country,” undermining the university’s academic and research mission.
The administration has already been sued by universities for other punitive actions, including attempting to change admissions, employment and curriculum policies. This latest action is expected to raise additional legal challenges as Harvard University fights to regain its ability to recognize international students.
Politically motivated attacks on academic freedom
The crackdown is not an isolated incident, but part of a broader pattern of Trump administration’s political retaliation against Harvard, and has become a visible institutional target as Harvard refuses to censor protests against Israel’s war against Gaza and refuses to rule out the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Initiative (DEI) initiative.
The administration’s allegations about anti-Semitism and “racist” Day policy seem to be an excuse to justify a punitive campaign aimed at controlling university autonomy and ideological orientation.
The administration’s use of regulatory power as a weapon compromises academic freedom. This is the fundamental right to self-governance at universities, encouraging open, diverse and politically free exchange of ideas.
Legal and political fallouts
The revocation of the Trump administration of Harvard University accreditation based on SEVP sends a sober warning to universities across the country. Failure to follow politically motivated government demands can have serious consequences.
Legally, administration powers are constrained by due process and administrative law, and the courts have recently blocked similar overreach of enforcement. Harvard has accused the revocation of illegality and plans to challenge it in court. Political, the move arms immigration enforcement, imposing ideological conformity, deepening polarization, and threatening democratic norms and academic independence.
Threat to the global status of higher education
The wider impact on higher education in the United States is severe. Praise risks stopping international students, who are essential to intellectual diversity in science, technology and culture, innovation, and the global competitiveness of America.
This politicization of immigration and education policies has disrupted thousands of lives and undermined the reputation of American universities around the world.
Harvard International Student Associations are important to promote innovation and academic excellence. The administration’s punitive measures are dangerous overacquisitions that threaten democratic principles and educational autonomy.
The fight to keep Harvard is not just about defending the university. It also protects academic freedom and the US status as a beacon.