In a significant expansion of United States President Donald Trump's crackdown against the Ivy League school, the US State Department ordered all its consular missions overseas to begin additional vetting of visa applicants looking to travel to Harvard University for any purpose, according to an internal cable seen by Reuters on Friday.
In a cable dated May 30 and sent to all US diplomatic and consular posts, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed the immediate start of "additional vetting of any non-immigrant visa applicant seeking to travel to Harvard University for any purpose."
Such applicants include but are not limited to prospective students, students, faculty, employees, contractors, guest speakers, and tourists, reported Reuters citing the cable.
Harvard University "failed to maintain a campus environment free from violence and anti-Semitism", the cable said, citing the Department of Homeland Security and therefore the enhanced vetting measures aim to help consular officers identify visa applicants "with histories of anti-Semitic harassment and violence."
The order also directs consular officers to consider questioning the credibility of the applicant if the individual's social media accounts are private and instruct them to ask the applicant to set their accounts to public.
Trump vs Harvard:
The Trump administration has launched a multifront attack on the nation's oldest and wealthiest university, freezing billions of dollars in grants and other funding, proposing to end its tax-exempt status and opening an investigation into whether it discriminated against white, Asian, male or straight employees or job applicants.
Revoking Harvard's ability to enroll international students would be damaging, the Ivy League school said. More than a quarter of the student body is international; nearly 60% of the graduate students at the prestigious Harvard Kennedy School hail from other countries.
The attack on Harvard is part of the administration's broader effort to pressure higher education institutions to align with its policy agenda.
Action against Chinese students
On Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration would start "aggressively" revoking visas issued to Chinese students attending U.S. schools, including those with ties to the Chinese Communist Party and those studying in critical fields, which he did not specify.
More than 275,000 Chinese students are enrolled in hundreds of U.S. colleges, providing a major source of revenue for the schools and a crucial pipeline of talent for U.S. technology companies. The decision prompted despair and frustration among students who have offers to attend next year.
Prior to Rubio's announcement, the offensive against U.S. colleges had largely been confined to Ivy League schools such as Harvard, Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania, which it has accused of left-wing bias and antisemitism.
In a cable dated May 30 and sent to all US diplomatic and consular posts, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed the immediate start of "additional vetting of any non-immigrant visa applicant seeking to travel to Harvard University for any purpose."
Such applicants include but are not limited to prospective students, students, faculty, employees, contractors, guest speakers, and tourists, reported Reuters citing the cable.
Harvard University "failed to maintain a campus environment free from violence and anti-Semitism", the cable said, citing the Department of Homeland Security and therefore the enhanced vetting measures aim to help consular officers identify visa applicants "with histories of anti-Semitic harassment and violence."
The order also directs consular officers to consider questioning the credibility of the applicant if the individual's social media accounts are private and instruct them to ask the applicant to set their accounts to public.
Trump vs Harvard:
The Trump administration has launched a multifront attack on the nation's oldest and wealthiest university, freezing billions of dollars in grants and other funding, proposing to end its tax-exempt status and opening an investigation into whether it discriminated against white, Asian, male or straight employees or job applicants.
Revoking Harvard's ability to enroll international students would be damaging, the Ivy League school said. More than a quarter of the student body is international; nearly 60% of the graduate students at the prestigious Harvard Kennedy School hail from other countries.
The attack on Harvard is part of the administration's broader effort to pressure higher education institutions to align with its policy agenda.
Action against Chinese students
On Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration would start "aggressively" revoking visas issued to Chinese students attending U.S. schools, including those with ties to the Chinese Communist Party and those studying in critical fields, which he did not specify.
More than 275,000 Chinese students are enrolled in hundreds of U.S. colleges, providing a major source of revenue for the schools and a crucial pipeline of talent for U.S. technology companies. The decision prompted despair and frustration among students who have offers to attend next year.
Prior to Rubio's announcement, the offensive against U.S. colleges had largely been confined to Ivy League schools such as Harvard, Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania, which it has accused of left-wing bias and antisemitism.
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