發佈日期: 2025-05-26 19:50

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Harvard University student leaders have sent a letter to The Washington Post saying the Trump administration's move to bar the school from accepting foreign applicants is putting the future of thousands of international students at risk.

They have called on all Americans to oppose the ban and safeguard the right to free speech.

Last Thursday, the Trump administration escalated an ongoing feud with Harvard University by revoking its ability to enrol international students.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security gave the Ivy League school 72 hours to comply with demands and provide student records, including protest footage.

A judge then placed a temporary halt on the federal order after Harvard sued to stop what it describes as "arbitrary, capricious, unlawful and unconstitutional action."

If the order stands, however, foreign students, who account for more than a quarter of Harvard's undergraduate student body, will be forced to transfer or lose their legal status to stay in the U.S.

Three international students from Harvard said in the letter published in The Post's opinion section that they were afraid but had to "speak up."

They decried Trump's authoritarian game, saying he is using international students as leverage to pressure elite schools to fall in line with his agenda.

The letter also argued the U.S. administration is sowing "deeply damaging" uncertainty in higher education and immigration, disrupting research and severely impacting America's place at the forefront of innovation.

And even if officials eventually back down on these policies, "it will take many years for U.S. universities to regain the trust of students around the world."

The three students said: "We have no choice but to take the fight now, or we will have surrendered our independence."

They also say they should not fight alone, appealing for the support of all Americans to oppose Trump's actions and safeguard the right to free speech.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump has claimed on "Truth Social" that some Harvard students are from countries that are not in friendly terms with the U.S.

In defence of his administration's move, Trump demanded the university provide the names and countries of all its international students. The president spoke to the media after stepping off Marine One in New Jersey.

"I'm not going to have a problem with foreign students, but it shouldn't be 31 percent. It's too much because we have Americans that want to go there and to other places, and they can't go there because you have 31 percent foreign. Now, no foreign government contributes money to Harvard. We do."

"So, why are they doing so many? Number one. Number two, we want a list of those foreign students and we'll find out whether or not they're okay."

Several researchers in the U.S. have pointed out that overseas students are essential and integral for studies in high-tech engineering, and suggested a ban on their enrolment would result in diminished academic results and finances.