Trump admin threatens to withdraw Harvard from Student and Exchange Visitor Program: ‘Privilege to have foreign students … not a guarantee’ 

The Trump management threatened connected Wednesday to retreat Harvard University from nan national programme that administers student visas if it does not comply pinch a records petition by nan extremity of nan month. 

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanded that nan Ivy League schoolhouse supply DHS pinch accusation related to imaginable “illegal” and “violent” activities Harvard overseas speech students person engaged successful arsenic portion of nan Trump administration’s crackdown connected antisemitism successful higher education, successful a missive to a schoolhouse charismatic obtained by The Post. 

“It is simply a privilege to person overseas students be Harvard University, not a guarantee,” Noem wrote successful nan missive to nan university’s head of migration services. 

“The United States Government understands that Harvard University relies heavy connected overseas student backing from complete 10,000 overseas students to build and support their important endowment,” nan DHS main added. “At nan aforesaid time, your institution has created a dispute learning situation for Jewish students owed to Harvard’s nonaccomplishment to condemn antisemitism.” 

Earlier this week, Harvard said it would not comply pinch demands issued by nan Trump management aimed astatine curtailing antisemitism connected campus, resulting successful nan White House freezing $2.2 cardinal successful multi-year grants and $60 cardinal successful multi-year contracts. 

Noem, connected Wednesday, besides announced DHS canceled 2 grants from nan section to nan university, totalling different $2.7 cardinal and declared Harvard “unfit” to person payer money.

“Harvard bending nan knee to antisemitism — driven by its spineless activity — fuels a cesspool of extremist riots and threatens our nationalist security,” she said successful a statement. “With anti-American, pro-Hamas ideology poisoning its field and classrooms, Harvard’s position arsenic a apical institution of higher learning is simply a distant memory. America demands much from universities entrusted pinch payer dollars.”

Noem threatened to “withdraw nan school’s certification” from nan Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) if nan institution refuses to comply pinch nan latest Trump management petition by April 30.  

SEVP, which falls nether nan purview of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), oversees nan management of F and M visas, respectively issued to overseas students looking to enroll successful world aliases vocational programs successful nan US. 

Noem demanded that Harvard taxable accusation connected student visa holders’ “known forbidden activity”; “known vulnerable aliases convulsive activity”; “known threats to different students aliases assemblage personnel”; “known deprivation of authorities of different classmates aliases assemblage personnel”; and whether immoderate of those activities occurred connected campus.

DHS besides wants to cognize whether immoderate Harvard student visa holders person near nan schoolhouse arsenic a consequence of those types of behaviors and whether immoderate “disciplinary actions” were taken successful consequence to threats aliases protests from overseas students connected campus. 

Noem further demanded that Harvard supply “information regarding each student visa holder’s attraction of astatine slightest nan minimum required coursework to support nonimmigrant student status.”  

“Failure to comply pinch this Student Records Request will beryllium treated arsenic a voluntary withdrawal,” nan DHS caput warned, noting that withdrawal “will not beryllium taxable to appeal.” 

The missive comes arsenic reports bespeak that nan Internal Revenue Service is making plans to rescind Harvard’s tax-exempt status. 

A last determination connected rescinding nan university’s taxation exemption is expected soon, CNN reported connected Wednesday. 

The White House, Treasury Department and IRS did not respond to The Post’s petition for comment. 

The Cambridge, Mass., assemblage has nan largest endowment successful nan state — astir $52 cardinal — from which it earned astir $2.4 cardinal successful fiscal 2024.

The endowment proceeds reportedly money about 37.5% of Harvard’s $6.4 cardinal operating budget. Annual national backing ($686 million) makes up 16% of nan operating budget. If nan tax-exempt position was altered, nan endowment income’s taxation complaint could soar from 1.4% to nan modular 21% firm taxation rate — not accounting for deductions — perchance translating to a $525 cardinal yearly simplification successful funds.

Harvard did not respond to The Post’s petition for comment.