The Department of Homeland Security is demanding “detailed records” on Harvard University’s student visa holders, according to a statement from the department.
The school must turn over student visa holders’ records, specifically those pertaining to “illegal and violent activities,” or risk losing the school’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program status, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Harvard in a letter sent by the department.
The SEVP allows for noncitizen students to study at the university under a specific visa.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a news conference to announce the re-launch of the VOICE office at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters, April 9, 2025, in Washington.
Alex Brandon/AP
Noem told Harvard it is a “privilege” to have foreign students attend Harvard, “not a guarantee.”
“The United States Government understands that Harvard University relies heavily on foreign student funding from over 10,000 foreign students to build and maintain their substantial endowment,” Noem wrote in a letter dated April 16 and obtained by ABC News. “At the same time, your institution has created a hostile learning environment for Jewish students due to Harvard’s failure to condemn antisemitism.”
Noem requested that Harvard provide a tranche of information to the department to keep its SEVP status, asking it for information on student visa holders’ “known” illegally activity, violent activity, threats to students or faculty, disciplinary actions taken as a result of being involved in a protest, whether a student obstructed the school’s learning environment and the coursework that a student is taking to maintain the visa status, according to the letter.
“In the event the school fails to respond to this request within the timeframe provided … SEVP will automatically withdraw the school’s certification,” she wrote.
Visitors stop at the statue of John Harvard in Harvard Yard at Harvard University, April 15, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass.
Charles Krupa/AP
DHS is also pulling $2 million in grants from Harvard — part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to halt grant funding for the university.
“Harvard bending the knee to antisemitism — driven by its spineless leadership — fuels a cesspool of extremist riots and threatens our national security,” Noem said in a press release. “With anti-American, pro-Hamas ideology poisoning its campus and classrooms, Harvard’s position as a top institution of higher learning is a distant memory. America demands more from universities entrusted with taxpayer dollars.”
On Monday, Harvard said it is refusing to comply with a series of demands from President Donald Trump’s administration. The Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism subsequently announced a multibillion-dollar freeze on funding to the university.
People walk through Harvard Yard on the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachussetts, April 15, 2025.
Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images
The administration’s task force said it would withhold $2.2 billion in multiyear grants and $60 million in multiyear contract value to the institution.
In a statement, Harvard said it is aware of the letter sent by DHS and “values the rule of law,” according to a university spokesperson.
“Harvard is aware of the Department of Homeland Security’s letter regarding grant cancellations and scrutiny of foreign student visas, which — like the Administration’s announcement of the freeze of $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts, and reports of the revocation of Harvard’s 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status — follows on the heels of our statement that Harvard will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” the spokesperson said. “We continue to stand by that statement. We will continue to comply with the law and expect the Administration to do the same.”
