Homeland secretary Kristi Noem issued a significant order against Harvard University on May 22, 2025. The order revokes Harvard University’s ability to enroll foreign students by terminating its Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification. Noem stated in her May 22 press release that
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. Harvard had plenty of opportunity to do the right thing. It refused. They have lost their Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification as a result of their failure to adhere to the law. Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country.
SEVP certification is a critical part of the U.S. government’s efforts to monitor and regulate foreign students in the U.S. The government aims to ensure that international students and exchange visitors comply with U.S. immigration laws, while also providing them with the support needed to succeed academically and culturally during their stay.
Without SEVP certification, Harvard will not be able to issue the required Form I-20 or DS-2019 documents for its international students and exchange visitors. These documents are essential for students to apply for visas that allow them to study in the U.S.
For international students currently enrolled at Harvard, the situation is more complex. They will likely need to transfer to another university with active SEVP certification to maintain their legal status in the U.S. Alternatively, currently enrolled foreign students may face difficulties in obtaining extensions or changing their visa status. According to Harvard’s official website, Harvard enrolled 6,793 international students, which represents 27.2% of its total enrollment.
Noem stated in her May 22, 2025 letter to Maureen Martin in Harvard’s International Office that administrators should not be surprised about DHS enforcement of SEVP rules. She reminded the university that decertification is the “unfortunate result of Harvard’s failure to comply with simple reporting requirements.” In the letter, Noem also gave Martin one last opportunity to regain SEVP certification if Harvard provided all requested information within 72 hours. Noem’s order sends a bold message to American universities to comply with SEVP policies.
According to Noem, the university’s noncompliance was a result of failures in maintaining proper records and ensuring that students on F and J visas — those specifically designed for international students and exchange visitors — were adhering to the terms of their stay in the U.S. The violations were discovered during routine audits, and after providing the university with opportunities for corrective action, DHS concluded that Harvard’s practices were insufficient.
The SEVP certification process requires universities and institutions to meet stringent standards in record-keeping, reporting, and maintaining communication with DHS. When institutions fail to meet these standards, the consequences can be severe, as evidenced by Harvard’s loss of certification.
Noem’s order deals a severe blow to Harvard University, which has long been one of the country’s most prestigious institutions. On April 11, Harvard filed a Title VI complaint against the federal government for what it regards as government overreach and “micromanagement” of Harvard. In addition to claiming discrimination, the complaint asserts that the federal government is “jeopardize[ing] the institution’s ability to pursue medical breakthroughs, scientific discoveries, and innovative solutions.”
Noem’s order is part of the Trump administration’s national security crackdown on university campuses nationwide. The current administration believes that Harvard and other universities are creating “an unsafe environment by permitting anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators to harass and physically assault individuals, including many Jewish students,” obstructing a constructive learning environment.
On April 16, 2025, Secretary Noem terminated $2.7 million in DHS grants because of “anti-American, pro-Hamas” activity on campus. Harvard and other universities benefit materially from taxpayer-funded government subsidies. At the time, Noem also requested information from Harvard about alleged misconduct related to its SEVP program. Harvard openly refused to cooperate, ignoring Noem’s warnings that refusal to comply would inevitably result in SEVP termination.
The press release details a concerning disregard for the safety of some students on the Harvard campus, especially Jewish students. A joint task force report released on May 13 showed that Harvard “repeatedly failed to confront the pervasive race discrimination and anti-Semitic harassment plaguing its campus.” Harvard’s Divinity School awarded one protester the role of class marshal for commencement despite his role in the assault of a Jewish student on campus. DHS alleges that Harvard has violated civil rights law with its “race-conscious hiring policies.”
DHS officials also allege that crime rates on the Harvard campus increased by 55% from 2022 to 2023, with aggravated assaults increasing by 295% and robberies increasing by 560%.
According to the DHS press release, Harvard engaged in undue national security risks when the university allegedly “facilitated, and engaged in coordinated activity with the CCP, including hosting and training members of a CCP paramilitary group complicit in the Uyghur genocide.”
Notably, DOJ scrutiny of Harvard’s practices follows a January 2020 Department of Justice case that charged Dr. Charles Leiber, Harvard’s chair of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, and two Chinese nationals, Yanqing Ye and Zaosong Zheng, with aiding the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Lieber was found guilty of “concealing his affiliation with the Wuhan University of Technology and his participation in China’s Thousand Talents Program, a program designed by the Chinese government to recruit high-level scientists, and failing to report payments on his taxes, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Image: Kristi Noem. Credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.