Trump Threatens to Block International Students Unless Harvard Shares Student Data

The Trump administration has threatened to block Harvard University from enrolling international students unless the school hands over detailed information about the student body, in yet another escalation of the government’s fight against higher education.In a letter sent on Wednesday, Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, demanded “relevant information” regarding each student visa holder at Harvard who has been involved with “known illegal” or “dangerous” activity.She also demanded information “regarding each student visa holder’s maintenance of at least the minimum required coursework to maintain nonimmigrant student status.”“The failure to comply with the student records request will be treated as a voluntary withdrawal,” Ms.Noem wrote in the letter, which was obtained by The New York Times.The letter was sent after Harvard refused President Trump’s demands to make sweeping changes to its policies on admissions and hiring.

The White House hit back with a series of financial threats and penalties.The Trump administration has argued that its goal in going after elite universities is to crack down on antisemitism on college campuses.But its demands are much broader, including rooting out diversity programs and performing audits of the student body’s ideological views.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

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