Trump’s remarks follow a federal judge’s decision on Friday, which rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to prohibit overseas students from studying at Harvard.
During the ongoing Trump vs. Harvard controversy, the US President targeted the Ivy League university once more, voicing concerns about its large international student body and demanding that the institution reveal the nationalities of these students.
In a tweet on social media platform Truth Social, Trump stated that this is a “reasonable request” because the US administration provides the university with “billions of dollars”
“Why isn’t Harvard saying that almost 31% of their students are from FOREIGN LANDS, and yet those countries, some not at all friendly to the United States, pay NOTHING toward their student’s education, nor do they ever intend to. Nobody told us that! We want to know who those foreign students are, a reasonable request since we give Harvard BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, but Harvard isn’t exactly forthcoming. We want those names and countries,” the post read.
A federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s policy aimed at barring international students from studying at Harvard.
Details:
US District Judge Allison D. Burroughs in Boston issued a temporary restraining order against the policy.
The judge agreed with Harvard’s argument that the policy would cause “immediate and irreparable injury” to the university.
Harvard sued the administration, calling the policy a “blatant violation” of the US Constitution and federal law.
The university highlighted that excluding international students would have an “immediate and devastating effect” on Harvard and thousands of visa holders enrolled there.
Harvard President’s Response & White House Reaction
Harvard’s stance:
Dr. Alan M. Garber, Harvard’s president, condemned the Trump administration’s policy as “unlawful and unwarranted.”
He said it “imperils the futures of thousands of students and scholars” at Harvard.
Garber warned that the policy serves as a “warning to countless others” across U.S. colleges and universities who come to America to pursue education and dreams.
Context:
The administration’s move is widely viewed as part of a broader effort to pressure universities that value independence from partisan politics.
White House response:
Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson defended the policy, arguing that “unelected judges have no right to stop the Trump Administration” from controlling immigration and national security policies.