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Indian Americans slam block on Harvard international students
The move, announced on May 22, prohibits Harvard from enrolling international students for the 2025–2026 academic year, affecting nearly 800 from India.
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Malvika Choudhary - Fri, 23, May 2025
- 15:16 EDT
- 0
Pramila Jayapal/ Ajay Bhutoria / File photo
The Department of Homeland Security’s move to block international student enrollment at Harvard received backlash from Indian American leaders.
The decision to revoke Harvard University's certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), announced on May 22, prohibits the university from enrolling international students for the 2025–2026 academic year. The policy affects approximately 6,800 students, including nearly 800 from India.
Also Read: ‘You belong at Harvard’: South Asian student body protests international students ban
Indian American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, called the decision “remarkably dangerous and unlawful.”
“This decision will now throw thousands of students’ lives into limbo as they face an uncertain future in a foreign land that had previously welcomed them and their talents,” Jayapal said in a statement.. “To attempt to deny the ability of Harvard to take any foreign students is both unlawful and deeply detrimental to our country’s own ability to innovate and attract talent from all over the world.”
Jayapal, a former international student herself, has taken a leading role in efforts to protect immigrant students. Earlier this month, she organized a letter signed by 142 members of Congress demanding answers from the administration regarding student visa terminations nationwide.
Trump’s action to end international students’ ability to study at Harvard is dangerous and unlawful.
— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) May 22, 2025
This will deter talent from coming to the United States, and is nothing more than a wannabe dictator trying to bully people into silence.
My full statement: pic.twitter.com/VF6AIFC4tJ
Ajay Bhutoria, former advisor to former President Biden on the White House Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, also sharply criticized the DHS directive. “This policy directly threatens over 500 Indian students at Harvard, forcing them to transfer or leave the U.S. before the next academic year begins,” he said in a public statement.
“These students, who represent the brightest minds from cities like Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru, have invested their dreams, finances, and futures in a Harvard education—only to have their aspirations shattered by a politically motivated attack,” Bhutoria added.
According to him the move sends a message to Indian students and the broader international student community that their contributions are not valued. “By targeting Harvard, the Trump administration risks driving talent to countries like Canada and the UK, weakening U.S.-India relations at a time when collaboration is more critical than ever,” he said.
“I call on the administration to reverse this decision immediately,” he said, urging Indian Americans to voice their concern and support student rights.
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