The Trump administration announced Wednesday that it will give Harvard University 30 days to present evidence supporting its defense against a federal attempt to revoke its ability to enroll international students.
The move marks a shift in the government’s previously aggressive stance to strip Harvard of its participation in the federal student visa program. The change comes after a judge intervened and appears aimed at heading off a legal challenge the university filed last week.
In a new development, Justice Department attorneys informed a federal court early Thursday morning that the Department of Homeland Security had sent Harvard a “Notice of Intent to Withdraw” from the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). The five-page document outlines the reasons the government believes the university no longer meets the criteria to host foreign students.
Among the cited issues are alleged failures in reporting requirements for international students and the university’s supposed inability to maintain a campus “free of violence and antisemitism.” The notice gives Harvard 30 days to submit affidavits or other evidence to counter the grounds for the proposed removal from the program.
The notice could potentially avert a high-stakes court hearing scheduled for Thursday morning, where Harvard was set to formally challenge the government’s earlier decision to bar the enrollment of international students. The university claims the move was made without following the federally mandated procedures for removing an institution from the SEVP system.
Federal District Judge Allison Burroughs, who is overseeing the case, has not yet issued a response. The hearing—if it proceeds—is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. Miami time.
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