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Newsweek
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Trump Floats Potential 'Deal' With Harvard as Judge Hands Admin New Loss
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A federal judge in Massachusetts just handed down a new legal blow to the Trump Administration in their fight with Harvard University involving international students, as the president said there could be a "historic" deal in the works. Newsweek reached out to the Ivy League school on Friday via email for comment. Why It Matters Trump and his administration have cracked down on Ivy League institutions like Harvard and Columbia University since he took office in January, accusing the universities of perpetrating antisemitism by allowing pro-Palestinian student activism on campus. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also terminated nearly $3 million in grants to Harvard after the university defied a list of demands that included discontinuing its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, reforming student discipline policies and implementing a mask ban. The Trump administration recently said it would pull the certification for Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), which allows the university to enroll international students. A judge issued a temporary restraining order to halt the new policy. What To Know In the new ruling on Friday, Judge Allison Burroughs, an Obama nominee, ruled with Harvard, saying that the Trump administration is "Enjoined from implementing, instituting, maintaining, or giving any force or effect" to revoking Harvard's SEVP and Exchange Visitor Program. In a post to Truth Social following the ruling, President Trump then floated a possible "deal" with the school. "Many people have been asking what is going on with Harvard University and their largescale improprieties that we have been addressing, looking for a solution. We have been working closely with Harvard, and it is very possible that a Deal will be announced over the next week or so," Trump said. "They have acted extremely appropriately during these negotiations, and appear to be committed to doing what is right. If a Settlement is made on the basis that is currently being discussed, it will be 'mindbogglingly' HISTORIC, and very good for our Country. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" This is a developing story that will be updated with additional information.
Gulf Today
03-06-2025
- Business
- Gulf Today
Marco Rubio's student visa pause makes no sense at all
Patricia Lopez, Tribune News Service This is a season of anxiety for international students in the US, who find themselves demonised by the Trump administration as it devises new ways to limit their numbers. The latest tactic came in a diplomatic cable from Secretary of State Marco Rubio to US embassies and consulates abroad, ordering a halt to the student visa interviews necessary to enter the country. The reason? An as-yet-undevised policy to further scrutinise the social media histories of students in a search for ... what exactly? No one seems quite sure. It was President Donald Trump who, in his first term, initiated screenings of student visa applicants' social media histories, looking primarily for terrorists or terrorist sympathiders. The policy became one of the few that was maintained by President Joe Biden when he succeeded Trump. In April of this year, Homeland Security said it also would begin monitoring international students' social media for evidence of antisemitism. That raised alarms among free-speech advocates because of the administration's tendency to conflate opposition to the Israeli government's policies or the war in Gaza with antisemitism. At the time, Edward Ahmed Mitchell, national deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in a statement that the administration was 'pursuing witch hunts into American colleges.' Now comes another amorphous, arbitrary standard that, even before implementation, is sending shock waves through an already traumatised international student community. Rubio's 'pause' on new student visa interviews will last until his department issues 'guidance on expanded social media vetting for all such applicants,' according to the cable. It does not specify what might disqualify an applicant or what the State Department will be looking for. It does not even say when the guidelines will be available nor when new interviews will resume, although on Thursday the department announced a pilot program to vet Harvard University's visa applicants for antisemitism. That cable advised those doing the vetting to consider 'whether the lack of any online presence, or having social media accounts restricted to 'private' or with limited visibility, may be reflective of evasiveness.' That is an unconscionable level of opacity for students whose biggest sin is wanting to come to the U.S. to further their education and who have a limited window in which to pursue such opportunities. Recall that the last administration-announced 'pause' was to the US Refugee Admissions Program back in January. That was four months ago. It's still in effect. Bizarrely, Rubio's decision even includes J-1 visa applicants for the State Department's own Exchange Visitor Program. Often those relate to cultural visits, summer work or other education-related travel. But that program also includes physicians and International Medical Graduates, who often serve in teaching hospitals and medically underserved rural areas or other hard-to-staff roles. These J-1 applicants already run a substantial gauntlet of vetting just to reach the interview stage. Finally, there is the conundrum of how the State Department will implement this enhanced vetting even as it plans huge cuts to its footprint and workforce. Trump earlier this year signed an executive order axing budgets at embassies and consulates. In April, CNN reported that according to internal State Department documents, up to 30 embassies and consulates overseas could be closed and others could see reductions. Those kinds of cuts are at odds with the plan to increase the vetting of international students, who already go through exhaustive checks in their attempts to enter the US. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is right when he says that 'all this is just going to scare people away from the United States, people that might come here, get an education, stay here, make some really important progress in some area ... It's just all wrong-headed.' Wisconsin alone had more than 15,000 international students in the 2023-24 school year, according to a study by NAFSA, the National Association of International Educators. That stimulated the state economy by an estimated $541 million. Multiply that by every state and it's easy to see the damage from restricting foreign students won't only be felt by colleges and universities. Fanta Aw, executive director of NAFSA, said in a statement that international students 'already represent the most tracked and vetted category of nonimmigrants in the United States,' calling the pause unnecessary and the additional scrutiny 'a poor use of taxpayer dollars.' And the State Department is unlikely to draw the line at students. Rubio could also easily crack down on business visas, tourist visas, H-1B work visas and others. Despite the fear fostered by the Trump administration's policies, the intellectual richness of an American education remains a potent draw. And while Trump may be happy to set the bar close to zero for foreign students, few outside his MAGA base would agree. The benefits the students bring are indisputable, both in talent and economic impact. The swelling numbers of international students over the last few decades affirm this nation's primacy, spreading American values through 'soft' diplomatic power. America First cannot become America Alone, isolated and parochial. Whether they remain here or return to their native countries, we should hope these international students remember their time here fondly — not with fear.
Newsweek
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Trump Visa Crackdown Snags Au Pairs
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trump administration's pause on some visa interviews last week did not just affect international students, but many American families reliant on foreign au pairs coming to the United States. The State Department paused new visa processing for a handful of categories, including J-1, otherwise known as the Exchange Visitor Program, under the premise that it needed to tighten vetting processes to avoid national security threats entering the country. While much of the focus has been on the F-1 student visa, the J-1 encompasses a whole range of programs allowing foreign workers to come to the country temporarily, from camp counselors to medical staff to au pairs. Around 5,600 of the latter were expected to enter the U.S. in the next four months. Mark Overmann, executive director of the Alliance of International Exchange, told Newsweek that many potential visa holders had already begun making travel plans, and even been matched with host families before the pause. "All that, every day that the pause continues, will start to get thrown into disarray," Overmann said. "That will disrupt potential au pairs' travel plans, and experience plans, for the next year, but also really put American families, working families, who are counting on having this au pair in their home to care for their children, that will really disrupt their lives in meaningful and difficult ways." InterExchange, which also advocates for and helps with the J-1 program, estimates that au pairs spend an average of $143.8 million each year in the U.S., and that 87 percent of families who rely on au pairs would not be able to find sufficient childcare if they did not have access to the program. In 2023, the last full year of data available, over 21,400 au pairs took part in the program. In total, roughly 348,000 people obtained J-1 visas. A Colombian woman who took part in the au pair program and now has an F-1 student visa spoke with Newsweek on condition of anonymity, explaining that the initial experience of obtaining her visa was smooth three years ago. "My relationship with the host family was great. We're still in touch. It was a beautiful experience—I think for both of us," she said. "I took care of three kids. One of them was a newborn when I arrived, so his first words were in Spanish. I think it was a very meaningful experience for them." A pause on the J-1 visa, which includes a category for au pairs, could affect future childcare for American families, advocacy groups are warning. Photo for illustration purposes only. A pause on the J-1 visa, which includes a category for au pairs, could affect future childcare for American families, advocacy groups are warning. Photo for illustration purposes only. Getty Images While it remains popular, the program has not been without controversy. In 2019, a dozen former au pairs from multiple countries sued the companies that recruited them, alleging they had been overworked and that companies had kept hold of a share of the wages meant for them. A $65.5 million settlement was later reached. At the time, the Washington, D.C.-based think tank Economic Policy Institute (EPI) said that the federal government, including Congress, needed to act to make substantial changes to the program to protect workers and increase oversight. However, the pause by the Trump administration is not to look at these issues, but to reportedly increase scrutiny of the applicants themselves, including analyzing their social media presence and posts. Newsweek asked the State Department about its decision and the potential impact on American families. A spokesperson did not address the second part of the question, instead repeating the message that getting a U.S. visa was "a privilege, not a right". The spokesperson also said that au pairs and other potential J-1 recipients were welcome to continue to submit applications and wait for new slots to become available at U.S. embassies and consulates around the world, adding that "they need to be fully truthful in their applications when they do so." With the J-1 visa initially available for 12 months, the Colombian woman Newsweek spoke to has since left her host family and role as an au pair, but remained in the U.S. "Of course, I have to stay super alert because I switched from my J-1 visa to an F-1 visa, and I still have student status, and with everything going on, anything could happen, right?" she said. "You live with the risk that your visa could suddenly be canceled, and you'd have to go back. Right now, having student status doesn't guarantee you'll be safe in the country." Hitting pause on programs, which do see applicants heavily vetted before visa approval, has caused concern among immigration advocates, but Overmann said many American communities would only start to notice once the flow of J-1 holders eases. "So many exchange programs from au pair to camp counselor to summer work travel to teacher to high school are so really embedded in American communities in ways that so many Americans understand and experience and benefit from on a daily basis, but many don't even quite realize that they're interacting with benefiting from exchange participants and exchange programs," he said. For now, those with visa appointments can still head to their embassy to continue the J-1 process, but Overmann, the organizations he works with, and the American families reliant on au pairs are anxiously waiting for an end date on the pause from the State Department. .
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Harvard sues Trump over foreign students ban
Harvard University is suing the Trump administration after the president banned it from enroling foreign students. Thousands of current international students were told on Thursday night that they must either transfer to another university or leave the United States after the order from the The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS). In a complaint filed in Boston federal court on Friday morning, the Ivy League university called Donald Trump's ruling a 'blatant violation' of the constitution and said it will have an 'immediate and devastating effect' on the university and more than 7,000 visa holders. '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,' Harvard said. 'It is the latest act by the government in clear retaliation for Harvard exercising its First Amendment rights to reject the government's demands to control Harvard's governance, curriculum, and the 'ideology' of its faculty and students,' the university added. Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, ordered the termination of Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification. She accused Harvard of 'fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party.' Harvard enroled nearly 6,800 international students in its current school year, 27 per cent of its student body. Chinese students make up more than a fifth of Harvard's international enrolment, according to university figures, and Beijing said the decision will 'only harm the image and international standing of the United States.' 'The Chinese side has consistently opposed the politicisation of educational cooperation,' foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said. It said the revocation would force it to retract admissions for thousands of people, and has thrown 'countless' academic programs, clinics, courses and research laboratories into disarray, just a few days before graduation. 'Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard,' the university said in a statement. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
India Today
23-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Indian, international students forced to leave Harvard? What Trump's move means
The Trump administration has taken a step that could deeply affect Indian and other international students at Harvard University. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has revoked Harvard's ability to enroll international students under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). This means that those already studying there must either transfer to another school or risk losing their legal status in the to Harvard's official website, approximately 500 to 800 Indian scholars and students are enrolled to the university each year. Currently, there are 788 Indian students studying. Harvard has approximately 6,800 foreign students who account for about 27% of the total students. The majority of them are graduate the new decision, they have to look for another university to transfer to if they want to stay in the FOREIGN STUDENTS GRADUATE FROM HARVARD? Students who finished their degrees this semester will be permitted to graduate. Noem's letter stated the revocation will only impact students from the 2025–2026 school year onward. That means students graduating in 2025, like Harvard's Class of 2025, which is set to conclude next week, can still have their degrees conferred to international students who still have some part of their studies left must transfer to another institution to remain in the country HAPPENS TO NEWLY ADMITTED STUDENTS?advertisementAs of now, students who were about to attend Harvard in the fall of 2025 will no longer be permitted to do so unless the government reverses its decision or if a court steps in. Secretary Noem has given Harvard 72 hours to meet a list of demands if it wishes to regain its ability to enroll foreign requirements consist of handing over records of disciplining international students by submitting audio and video recordings of protest activities on campus. Harvard had previously refused to hand over this response to the revocation, Harvard said on Thursday that it is working to give guidance to students who are ADMINISTRATION VS HARVARD"I am writing to inform you that, effective immediately, Harvard University's Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification is revoked," read an official letter from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi a post on social media, Noem accused Harvard of "fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus."This move is part of an ongoing conflict between Harvard and the Trump administration that started in early April. The controversy began when Harvard refused to comply with government directives to restrict pro-Palestinian protests and to discontinue policies dealing with diversity, equity, and agencies like the Department of Homeland Security and the National Institutes of Health have since ceased university grants. These measures have impacted various research projects undertaken by the professors at protest, Harvard sued the administration in a bid to regain the funding and reverse the is under pressure to respond quickly to the government's demands or risk losing a significant portion of its student body. Meanwhile, affected students will seek legal and academic advice on their next steps. There is also a possibility that the Supreme Court might step in to review or block the government's Reel
