The State Department said Wednesday that it launched an investigation into Harvard University’s compliance with the government-run visa program for international students, marking the latest effort by the Trump administration to prevent the university from enrolling international students.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that the State Department would be scrutinizing Harvard's sponsorship eligibility under the Exchange Visitor Program certification — also known as the J-1 visa program — which allows foreign students to participate in exchange programs in the United States.
The secretary of state noted that all sponsors of the program "must comply with all regulations, including conducting their programs in a manner that does not undermine the foreign policy objectives or compromise the national security interests of the United States."
"The American people have the right to expect their universities to uphold national security, comply with the law, and provide safe environments for all students," Rubio said. "The investigation will ensure that State Department programs do not run contrary to our nation’s interests."
A spokesperson for Harvard said in a statement that the school "is committed to continuing to comply with the applicable Exchange Visitor Program regulations.”
"This investigation is yet another retaliatory step taken by the Administration in violation of Harvard’s First Amendment right," the spokesperson said. "Harvard continues to enroll and sponsor international scholars, researchers, and students, and will protect its international community and support them as they apply for U.S. visas and travel to campus this fall."
The New York Times first reported the existence of the State Department’s investigation.
The investigation marks the Trump administration's latest attempt to block the nation's oldest — and arguably most elite — university from enrolling international students.
In May, the Trump administration abruptly terminated Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification. The move was swiftly blocked by a federal judge.
Days later, Trump issued a proclamation, titled "Enhancing National Security by Addressing Risks at Harvard University," seeking to restrict foreign students from enrolling in the Ivy League school.
The proclamation said that Trump would "restrict the entry of foreign nationals who seek to enter the United States solely or principally to participate in a course of study at Harvard University or in an exchange visitor program hosted by Harvard University."
It also noted that the secretary of state "shall consider, in the Secretary’s discretion, whether foreign nationals who currently attend Harvard University and are in the United States" on F, M or J visas should have their visas revoked, as Rubio's announcement appears to suggest.
"This is yet another illegal retaliatory step taken by the Administration in violation of Harvard’s First Amendment rights," the university said in a statement at the time.
The ongoing battle over Harvard's ability to enroll foreign students comes amid larger tensions between the university and the Trump administration.
In April, Harvard rejected a list of demands from the administration’s Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, which would change Harvard's admissions and hiring processes and subject the university's faculty to a government audit.
Shortly afterward, the Trump administration said it was freezing more than $2 billion in federal research grants to the university, prompting Harvard to sue.
