US escalates fight over Harvard’s international student data

After months of attempts to obtain the records of Harvard’s international students, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced yesterday it would start sending subpoenas to the university, demanding it turn over the documents.  

“We tried to do things the easy way with Harvard. Now, through their refusal to cooperate, we have to do things the hard way,” said assistant secretary for public affairs, Tricia McLaughlin, in a statement on July 9.  

“Harvard, like other universities, has allowed foreign students to abuse their visa privileges and advocate for violence and terrorism on campus,”she claimed. “If Harvard won’t defend the interests of its students, then we will.”  

Since mid-April, the Trump administration has launched multiple attacks on Harvard for allegedly failing to root out antisemitism on campus and failing to hand over international students’ records, among other accusations.  

The administrative subpoenas, issued by ICE, command Harvard to turn over extensive records on its 7,000 international students since January 2020.  

DHS did not publicly announce a deadline or specify which documents it requires, though past requests have included video and audio footage of international students involved in pro-Palestinian protests, as well as internal emails and administrative memos. The department did not immediately respond to The PIE News’s request for comment.

Harvard University spokesperson Jason Newton called the move “unfounded retribution” by the federal government but appeared to comply with DHS’s demands. 

“Harvard is committed to following the law, and while the government’s subpoenas are unwarranted, the university will continue to cooperate with lawful requests and obligations,” said Newton.  

The power to issue the documents is limited to certain state and federal agencies, without requiring a judge’s approval. But if Harvard refuses to comply, ICE will need to seek a judicial order to enforce the demands.  

Harvard continues to defend itself… against harmful government overreach aimed at dictating whom private universities can admit and hire, and what they can teach

Jason Newton, Harvard University

In what has become a months-long standoff, Newton maintained that Harvard would continue to defend itself against “harmful government overreach aimed at dictating whom private universities can admit and hire, and what they can teach”. 

After the university’s public rebuttal of a long list of government demands on April 16, secretary of homeland security Kristi Noem moved to strip Harvard of its ability to enrol international students on May 22, which was blocked by a judge soon after.

Harvard did submit some international student records to the government on April 30, maintaining it had provided the “information required by law”, though this was subsequently deemed “insufficient” by Secretary Noem.  

In a separate attack, President Trump signed a proclamation attempting to suspend the visas for international students coming to America’s oldest institution, which was also halted by the courts.

The administration’s latest salvo is intended to send a message to campuses across the US.  

It warns: “Other universities and academic institutions that are asked to submit similar information should take note of Harvard’s actions, and the repercussions, when considering whether or not to comply with similar requests”.  

The row with Harvard has been one of the focal points of Trump’s sweeping attacks on higher education, which has seen investigations launched into dozens of universities, a near month-long pause on new student visa interviews and enhanced social media vetting of international students.   

The Wednesday subpoena is the second issued to Harvard is less than two weeks. On June 26, the House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed the university for its financial aid records amid alleged tuition-fixing at the institution.  

Secretary Noem previously called the university’s international student certification “a giant cash cow for Harvard”. 

Writing in an op-ed in the Washington Post, Noem claimed the institution had “fostered antisemitic extremism” and used taxpayer money to “collaborate with an American adversary”. 

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