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DHS Secretary Kristi Noem revoked Harvard's certification in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), the department announced on Thursday, May 22. The Trump administration has accused the Cambridge, Massachusetts, university of allowing "anti-American, pro-terrorist" foreign students to disrupt campus life.
The decision puts the legal status in doubt for Harvard's nearly 6,800 international students from about 140 countries. Many are graduate students and make up more than a quarter of the school's student body, the Associated Press reported.
International students at a university with a revoked SEVP certification have three choices, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They must either transfer to an SEVP-certified college, change their immigration status, or leave the country.
Noem claimed Harvard has permitted "widespread antisemitism" and illegally coordinated with the Chinese government.
"It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments," said Noem. "Harvard had plenty of opportunity to do the right thing. It refused."
In a statement to the AP, Harvard said Noem's revocation was unlawful and that the school will provide guidance to students.
"This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard's academic and research mission," the university said.
Harvard responded to a DHS request in April that demanded information about international students as part of SEVP certification. Some feared the info could cause the students to face deportation because of their participation in campus protests.
DHS accused Harvard of "brazenly" refusing to follow the request.
"They have lost their [SEVP] certification as a result of their failure to adhere to the law," said Noem. "Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country."
In a new letter to the school, Noem said Harvard can have its certification restored if it gives all records it has on international students to DHS within 72 hours. The request includes any audio or video of students involved in protests.
DHS claims that Jewish students at Harvard have faced "pervasive insults, physical assault, and intimidation" without a "meaningful response" from university leaders. A Harvard internal study said nearly 60% of Jewish students faced "discrimination, stereotyping, or negative bias on campus due to [their] views on current events."
Harvard's loss of SEVP certification is the latest instance of the Trump administration punishing pro-Palestine demonstrations under the guise of combating antisemitism.
Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk was released from ICE custody after she was detained for a 2024 op-ed that criticized the college's response to Israel's occupation of Gaza. Several Columbia University students have been threatened with deportation after taking part in pro-Palestine demonstrations, including the still-detained Mahmoud Khalil.
Noem also accused Harvard of hosting members of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, a Chinese paramilitary group, as recently as 2024. As evidence, DHS provided a link to a Fox News story citing a letter from House Republicans, the AP reported.
Trump has also withheld massive amounts of federal funding from Harvard and threatened to remove the university's tax-exempt status. Harvard has opposed Trump's wider crackdown on colleges promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
In a separate case, a California federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from terminating the legal status of international students across the US or detaining them based on their legal status.
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