Harvard Fights To Protect Its Motto - VERITAS - Takes Trump Administration To Court Over International Students Diktat

VERITAS – Ingrained in three inverted triangles on the famed entry of the prestigious Harvard University means truth. But standing for truth comes at a cost. The great James A Garfield once wrote, “The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable.”  Harvard University is probably going through that phase where its determination to remain truthful to its motto – VE-RI-TAS – is being tested like never before. Ordered by the Trump administration to stop taking international students is not just a test for the varsity but a test for free America.

Harvard however has come out strongly against the Trump administration’s latest move to revoke the institution’s certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), a decision that strips Harvard of its authority to sponsor international students for the 2025–26 academic year.

And the man leading the Harvard’s resistance to the Trump’s diktat is  President Alan M. Garber, who issued a strong rebuke to the administration’s action, describing it as “unlawful and unwarranted,” and a clear act of retaliation for Harvard’s refusal to surrender its academic independence. It is no secret that the Trump administration wants the left protest happening in Harvard to stop.

The Harvard University has challenged the Trump administration’s decision to bar the Ivy League School from enrolling foreign students in court of law. An act seen as defiance to the President’s will.

“With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body, international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission,” Harvard has petitioned in its legal suit.

Associated Press report cites the impact of the decision is heavier in graduate schools like the Harvard Kennedy School where almost 50 per cent of the student body comes from abroad.

If the government’s decision is not overturned, Harvard says it won’t be able to admit new international students for at least the next two academic years. Once a university loses this special government approval, it has to wait a full year before it can even apply to get it back.

Right now, Harvard has nearly 6,800 international students studying at its campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Most of them are doing their postgraduate studies and come from over 100 different countries.

Clearly, Harvard’s autonomy has come under heavy scrutiny from the Donald Trump administration. But one man who has offered hope to all the foreign students who dream of studying at Harvard is its president Alan M Garber.

“We will support you as we do our utmost to ensure that Harvard remains open to the world,” Garber said in a statement issued just moments before this article was being published.

“The revocation continues a series of government actions to retaliate against Harvard for our refusal to surrender our academic independence and to submit to the federal government’s illegal assertion of control over our curriculum, our faculty, and our student body.”

The decision by the federal government comes amid ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and institutions of higher education that have pushed back against federal directives seen as intrusive and politically motivated. Garber made it clear that Harvard would not yield under pressure.

“We will do everything in our power to support our students and scholars,” he said. “Know that you are vital members of our community. You are our classmates and friends, our colleagues and mentors, our partners in the work of this great institution.”

He concluded with a message of unwavering commitment to global engagement: “Thanks to you, we know more and understand more, and our country and our world are more enlightened and more resilient. We will support you as we do our utmost to ensure that Harvard remains open to the world.”

As legal proceedings unfold, Harvard’s message is clear: it will stand firm in defending academic freedom, international scholarship, and its core values — no matter the political climate.

The next round of the Harvard Vs Trump saga will now unfold in the courts.