Washington, June 5 - US President Donald Trump has banned the admission of foreign students coming to study at Harvard University under the transfer program for six months. This move is a new attempt by him to keep international students away from the 'Ivy League school'.
The 'Ivy League' is a group of eight famous private educational places in the US, including Harvard University. Trump announced in an executive order issued on Wednesday that allowing Harvard to admit foreign students to its campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts would be a threat to national security.
“I have determined that the admission of a class of foreign nationals is detrimental to the interests of the United States because, in my opinion, Harvard’s conduct has made it an unsuitable place for foreign students and researchers,” Trump wrote in the order.
Trump’s decision is being seen as another step toward a confrontation between the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university and the White House. A federal court in Boston last week blocked the Department of Homeland Security from barring foreign students from Harvard, but Trump’s orders were made using a different legal authority.
Trump cited a broad federal law that gives the president the power to bar foreigners whose entry would be “harmful to the interests of the United States.” He also announced on Wednesday that citizens of 12 countries would remain banned from entering the United States, and some restrictions would apply to seven other countries.
Trump's Harvard order also cited several other laws, including a law banning foreigners associated with terrorist organizations. Harvard issued a statement Wednesday night saying it would "continue to protect our international students." University officials said, "This is yet another illegal and discriminatory action by the administration in violation of Harvard's First Amendment rights."