The Trump administration is attempting to end Harvard University’s ability to enroll foreign students, with one stated reason being “coordinated activity” with the Chinese Communist Party.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning fielded multiple questions on the suspension of international students from the preeminent university during a press conference on Friday.
“China-U.S. education cooperation benefits both sides. China opposes politicizing education cooperation,” Mao said. “What the U.S. seeks to do will undoubtedly hurt its own image and reputation in the world.”
Mao said the White House‘s actions will “undoubtedly hurt its image and reputation in the world,” while promising that China will “firmly protect the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese students and scholars overseas.”
“Let me reiterate that China opposes politicizing education cooperation and groundlessly attacking and vilifying China,” Mao added. “The sanctions you mentioned are illicit and should be lifted immediately.”
Harvard boasted approximately 6,700 international students last year — almost a third of all students at the Ivy League university.
The Department of Homeland Security revoked the school’s University Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification on Thursday for failing to comply with an April 16 demand for information about international students.
“Harvard’s leadership has created an unsafe campus environment by permitting anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators to harass and physically assault individuals, including many Jewish students,” the DHS said in a press release.
“Many of these agitators are foreign students,” it continued. “Harvard’s leadership further facilitated, and engaged in coordinated activity with the CCP, including hosting and training members of a CCP paramilitary group complicit in the Uyghur genocide.”
The DHS is now saying that Harvard “can no longer enroll foreign students, and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status.”
“Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said.
Harvard launched a lawsuit in retaliation, saying the action was unconstitutional.
“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,” the university asserted in its lawsuit. “Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.”
U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Massachusetts issued a temporary block against the administration’s ban on Friday to “preserve the status quo pending a hearing.”
The HS will be barred from revoking Harvard’s SEVP while the temporary order is in effect.
Multiple universities in China extended invitations to Chinese students at Harvard to transfer their enrollment to domestic institutions.
Chinese nationals are not the only students facing a possible end to their Ivy League education.
Princess Elisabeth, heir apparent to the throne of Belgium, just completed her first year at Harvard.
“We are looking into the situation, to see what kind of impact this decision might have on the princess, or not. It’s too early to say right now,” said Xavier Baert, Belgian Royal Palace communications leader.
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For decades, Harvard has been a premier educational institution for oligarchs, royalty, and other international elites.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Empress Masako of Japan, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, and many other sitting world leaders were educated at the university.
