In a sweeping move that escalates tensions between the White House and American universities, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered the suspension of student visa processing, marking a sharp escalation in President Donald Trump’s actions against foreign students and institutions like Harvard University.
The directive, revealed in a diplomatic cable, instructs U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide to halt all new appointments for student and exchange visas until further notice.
This development follows a wave of policy decisions targeting international students, especially those participating in campus protests against the ongoing war in Gaza.
The Trump administration accuses such students of sympathising with Hamas, a group the U.S. designates as a terrorist organisation.
Hundreds of visas have already been revoked, and Harvard has come under particular scrutiny, with plans underway to block the prestigious institution from admitting non-U.S. citizens.
The crackdown coincided with student protests at Harvard, where demonstrators rallied against the government’s decision to terminate remaining federal contracts with the university.
The action, worth an estimated $100 million, is widely seen as part of Trump’s efforts to pressure the university into accepting greater federal oversight over its curriculum, research, and admissions policies.
Protesters held signs criticising the administration, with chants in support of international students whose academic futures are now in jeopardy due to the revocation of Harvard’s ability to sponsor visas under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program.
A judge has temporarily halted the implementation of the visa ban, pending a hearing scheduled for Thursday, which coincides with Harvard’s commencement ceremony.
Thousands of graduates and their families have already gathered in Cambridge, Massachusetts for the event.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has defended its stance, stating that public funding should support institutions that prioritise vocational training and “American values.”
Presidential spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt stated on Fox News that taxpayer funds should go to trade and state schools that focus on skills needed in the workforce, rather than what she called “LGBTQ graduate majors from Harvard.”
During the protests, students mingled on Harvard’s lawns as helicopters flew overhead.
Many expressed fear for the future. Alice Goyer, dressed in a black academic gown, said her international peers now face the threat of deportation or forced transfers.
A British student named Jack, graduating with a degree in the history of medicine, questioned whether he would pursue further studies in the U.S., citing growing instability for foreign scholars.
Harvard has launched several legal challenges to fight the administration’s actions, aiming to reverse both the loss of visa privileges and the termination of federal contracts.
Legal experts believe the university has strong grounds. Professor Ray Brescia of Albany Law School noted that the courts are unlikely to allow such sweeping policies to stand, predicting a possible reversal at higher judicial levels.
Harvard alumni are also mobilising. Anurima Bhargava, a filmmaker and organiser with the alumni group Crimson Courage, announced plans to file a lawsuit against Trump on June 9.
The group recently hosted a mass online meeting to rally support and raise funds to challenge the administration’s campaign.
The Trump administration’s latest move marks a deepening of its broader offensive against what it claims is a culture of liberal bias and anti-Semitism in American universities.
Harvard, with 27 percent of its student body made up of international students, has borne the brunt of these efforts.
In recent weeks, the university has seen billions in federal research grants frozen and a string of government contracts abruptly cancelled.
Despite growing backlash, Trump remains defiant, insisting that many international students are “radicalised lunatics” and “troublemakers,” vowing to continue what has become an increasingly public confrontation with one of the world’s most prestigious academic institutions.
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