DHS revokes Harvard SEVP certification, barring 6,800 international students

The Department of Homeland Security revoked Harvard University's Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification on May 22, 2025, barring the school from enrolling approximately 6,800 international students and scholars on F or J visas. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem had previously demanded Harvard hand over disciplinary and protest-participation records on international students; Harvard partially complied but declined to produce records it said exceeded the law's requirements. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs granted a temporary restraining order within two hours and later issued a preliminary injunction blocking the revocation. The action was part of a broader campaign using federal enrollment and funding authority to pressure universities over campus governance and speech.