DHS Revokes Harvard's Student Visa Certification

On May 22, 2025, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ordered DHS to terminate Harvard University's Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, which would have barred the university from enrolling foreign students and forced existing international students to transfer or lose legal status. DHS cited Harvard's handling of campus safety and alleged ties to a Chinese Communist Party-linked group as justification; Harvard disputed the claims.

The university sued the following day, alleging violations of the First Amendment, the Administrative Procedure Act, and due process. A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking the revocation within hours of the suit being filed, and by August 2025 DHS said it would not enforce the May 22 letter, though a longer revocation process remained possible.

The episode was among the most severe actions taken against a single university during the administration's broader campaign over campus antisemitism and diversity policy, directly threatening thousands of international students' status.