The Trump administration’s recent actions have thrown the lives of Harvard’s 7,000 international students into distress and disarray, with some afraid of attending commencement this week while others nurse fears of attending Harvard Graduation. According to Maureen Martin, Harvard’s director of immigration services, some US students are even reconsidering enrolling this fall because of the Trump administration’s actions.
“The faculty and administration are being inundated with questions from concerned students, and international students are so distressed that their mental health has been affected,” Martin wrote in a sworn statement filed in court. “Some are afraid to attend their own graduation ceremonies this week out of fear that some immigration-related action will be taken against them.” Some students have also canceled upcoming international travel plans to conduct academic research or visit their families due to the risk of not being admitted back into the United States.
The Trump administration’s actions have caused a competitive disadvantage for Harvard, with some international students set to attend the university in future semesters reconsidering their plans. At least one medical school student and one law student have decided not to attend Harvard, and at least three US students who want to study alongside international students are also reconsidering. Others have had trouble obtaining student visas to the US at embassies abroad in recent days.
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the State Department and Department of Homeland Security from rescinding Harvard’s ability to host international students. However, some of the damage has already been done, according to the university. Judge Allison Burroughs will hear arguments and consider evidence on whether Harvard’s international students should be indefinitely protected following the Trump administration’s attempt to revoke the university’s student visa program.
“The U.S. is sending a message that international talents are…” The hearing marks the first major day in court in the clash between Harvard and the Trump White House. The university is also fighting several other federal agency actions to block billions of dollars in funding, especially for healthcare research, arguing that President Donald Trump is targeting Harvard in a pattern of retaliation as part of a broader culture war.
The state of Massachusetts has expressed support for Harvard’s arguments, while the Trump administration claims it is combating antisemitism at Harvard and is unhappy with the elite university’s “academic rigor.” Harvard argues that the administration’s demands are putting a quarter of the student body, who come from over 140 foreign countries, in jeopardy and encroaching on the university’s free speech and campus autonomy.