The government of President Donald Trump ordered the revocation of the Certification of the Student and Exchange Visitors Program, Sevp, from the University of Harvardwhich would prevent the institution enrolled from new international students.
The measure was communicated by the Secretary of National Security, Kristi Noem, Who accused Harvard of promoting acts of violence, anti -Semitism and collaborating with the Chinese Communist Party, although he did not present evidence.
The University claimed that the decision would have a detrimental impact for 6,763 international students and requested an immediate blocking of the measure. This measure becomes more important if one takes into account that the enrolled student population that is identified as Hispanic or Latin is 9.22%, according to figures of Data USA.
As for the rest of the demographic composition, recent data from the Harvard student environment, The Crimson indicates that 53.1% of first -year students are identified as whites, 23.6% as Asians15.7% as black or African -American, 8.3% as Southasy, and less than 1% as indigenous or Pacific islanders.
This is why, in response, Harvard filed a lawsuit before a federal court, qualifying the revocation as a violation of the first amendment of the Constitution. Federal judge Allison Burroughs issued a temporary order that prevents the Government from implementing the revocation while the judicial case is resolved. Harvard argued in his judicial presentation that Trump’s policy is part of a broader campaign to pressure academic institutions, media and judicial bodies to adhere to his guidelines.
The University said that the government decision intended to punish them for maintaining their academic independence. This action against Harvard adds to other initiatives of the administration of President Trump to control the activity of universities and law firm who have questioned their policies.
The University had already previously sued the Government to recover about US $ 3,000 million in suspended federal grants.
According to data from the University itself, Harvard currently has around 6,800 international students, which represents 27% of their total registration. The institution argues that these students contribute significantly to their academic community. Harvard University, founded 389 years ago and located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has maintained a firm position in defense of its institutional autonomy.
In his most recent statement, he declared that “Without your international students, Harvard is not Harvard”. In the 2024 call of the Colombian Colfuturo program, only 44 students with scholarship were admitted to Harvard, equivalent to 1.5% of the 2,927 beneficiaries. In 2023, the figure was 25 students, 1.04% of the total.
In addition, the information collected by The Crimson, It reveals that 47% of Hispanic or Latin students are first generation university, followed by 24.7% of African -American students, 15.4% of Asians and 12% of whites. Family income also varies by ethnic group, being less among color students.
Pressure on independent institutions
Trump’s pressure on Harvard is part of a campaign to force universities, law firms, media, courts and other institutions that value the independence of partisan policy to align with his agenda. The campaign has included efforts to deport foreign students who participated in protests, But they did not commit crimes, retaliate against law firms that have challenged Trump, and a Trump suggestion to challenge a judge for an immigration ruling he did not like.
