Harvard University is suing the Trump administration after the president banned it from enroling foreign students.
Thousands of current international students were told on Thursday night that they must either transfer to another university or leave the United States after the order from the The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS).
In a complaint filed in Boston federal court on Friday morning, the Ivy League university called Donald Trump’s ruling a “blatant violation” of the constitution and said it will have an “immediate and devastating effect” on the university and more than 7,000 visa holders.
“With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body, international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission,” Harvard said.
“It is the latest act by the government in clear retaliation for Harvard exercising its First Amendment rights to reject the government’s demands to control Harvard’s governance, curriculum, and the ‘ideology’ of its faculty and students,” the university added.
Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, ordered the termination of Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification.
She accused Harvard of “fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party.”
Harvard enroled nearly 6,800 international students in its current school year, 27 per cent of its student body.
Chinese students make up more than a fifth of Harvard’s international enrolment, according to university figures, and Beijing said the decision will “only harm the image and international standing of the United States.”
“The Chinese side has consistently opposed the politicisation of educational cooperation,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.
It said the revocation would force it to retract admissions for thousands of people, and has thrown “countless” academic programs, clinics, courses and research laboratories into disarray, just a few days before graduation.
“Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard,” the university said in a statement.