U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded the names and countries of origin for every international student enrolled at Harvard University.
The directive, issued via a Truth Social post on May 25, is the latest in a string of moves by the Trump administration targeting Ivy League campuses.
“We want to know who those foreign students are,” Trump wrote. “A reasonable request since we give Harvard BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, but Harvard isn’t exactly forthcoming.”
The post follows a dramatic standoff between Harvard and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Last week, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem abruptly moved to strip the university of its eligibility to host foreign students under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. That move would have forced all international students to transfer or leave the U.S.
Harvard immediately filed suit, calling the move unconstitutional and retaliatory. A federal judge temporarily sided with the university on May 23, halting the administration’s action and criticizing the “immediate and irreparable injury” it would have caused.
The Trump administration, however, is not backing down. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson defended the president’s request, saying, “It’s an easy request they should be more than willing to provide given all the money they receive — and ask for — from the federal government.”
The move has drawn sharp criticism from legal experts and civil rights advocates, who argue that demanding personal information from students based on nationality could amount to profiling and violate privacy rights.
Harvard’s $53 billion endowment—frequently targeted by Trump—was again in the spotlight, with the president writing, “Use it, and stop asking for the Federal Government to continue GRANTING money to you!”
