Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday that the United States is investigating Harvard University‘s continued eligibility as a sponsor of the Exchange Visitor Program.
In a statement, Rubio questioned whether Harvard was complying with the requirements for continued participation in the program, including transparency in reporting and a “demonstrated commitment to fostering the principles of cultural exchange and mutual understanding upon which the program was founded.”
To continue participating, Rubio said the school must conduct its exchange program in a way that doesn’t “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. The investigation will ensure that State Department programs do not run contrary to our nation’s interests,” he said.
Harvard responded to the news, saying, “This investigation is yet another retaliatory step taken by the Administration in violation of Harvard’s First Amendment rights. 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 University is committed to continuing to comply with the applicable Exchange Visitor Program regulations.”
Harvard President Dr. Alan M. Garber was notified of the investigation in a Wednesday letter. In the letter, Rubio gave the school a one-week deadline to provide records of its involvement in the Exchange Visa Program, which provides visas for students, professors, researchers, interns, and au pairs.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the State Department for comment.
The State Department investigation is the third major move against the elite university since the two sides reentered negotiations after the Trump administration withdrew billions of dollars of federal funding.
Harvard is one of the foremost universities being targeted by the Trump administration in its campaign to crack down on antisemitism and diversity, equity, and inclusion policies in higher education. The school outright rejected the Trump administration’s first overture in April, prompting the cancellation of $2.2 billion in multiyear grants. In a letter, the university’s lawyers accused the administration of violating its First Amendment rights.
“The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” the April letter said. “Neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government. Accordingly, Harvard will not accept the government’s terms as an agreement in principle.”
“Harvard remains open to dialogue about what the university has done, and is planning to do, to improve the experience of every member of its community,” it continued. “But Harvard is not prepared to agree to demands that go beyond the lawful authority of this or any administration.”
DHS SUBPOENAS HARVARD FOR FOREIGN STUDENT RECORDS AMID STUDENT VISA BATTLE
The move rallied other top universities, drawing praise from Stanford and Yale.
Harvard has since scaled back its rhetoric, looking to reach a compromise after the Trump administration targeted its accreditation and access to international students. Roughly one-quarter of Harvard’s students are foreign, making the stripping of their access to the university a potentially crippling blow.
