Donald Trump’s unprecedented and radical offensive against Harvard University has been, among other things, multifaceted. The most prominent facet of the president’s campaign, for example, has focused on eliminating federal grants to the school. There’s also the matter of the administration targeting Harvard’s tax-exempt status.
But about a month ago, the Republican administration escalated matters further. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem personally sent a letter to university officials that read in part: “I am writing to inform you that effective immediately, Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification is revoked.”
At that point, Harvard — one of the most respected institutions of higher education on the planet — could no longer enroll international students. Four weeks later, a federal judge blocked the Department of Homeland Security’s decision as litigation in the matter continues. The New York Times reported:
A federal judge in Boston sided with Harvard University on Friday and barred a Trump administration effort to rescind the school’s right to host international students. The government’s moves against Harvard have thrown the lives of thousands of visiting scholars into temporary disarray. But the ruling by Judge Allison D. Burroughs allows Harvard’s longstanding participation in the Student and Visitor Exchange Program to continue, at least for now.
Burroughs directed the administration to “immediately” prepare guidance to alert relevant agencies to disregard the May 22 notice from DHS, and to restore “every visa holder and applicant to the position that individual would have been absent such Revocation Notice.”
The jurist added that she expects this process to be completed within 72 hours.
School officials are no doubt pleased with the outcome, though it’s difficult not to wonder how much damage has already been done, and how many prospective international students will simply decide to go to other respected universities in other countries. What’s more, there are still plenty of other aspects of the White House’s offensive that are ongoing. Team Trump is still trying to end all federal grants to Harvard; officials are still targeting the university’s tax-exempt status for reasons that defy comprehension; the ruling on international students is likely to be appealed; the Justice Department has reportedly begun an inquiry into Harvard Law Review possibly discriminating against white guys; and The New York Times reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is pushing to investigate whether Harvard “violated federal sanctions by collaborating on a health insurance conference in China that may have included officials blacklisted by the U.S. government.” To the extent that the White House cares about public attitudes, the American mainstream does not appear to be on board with these tactics. The latest Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll asked about Trump and his team’s ongoing clash with Harvard, and it found that roughly two-thirds of the public sided with the university over the administration. The political war, however, is nevertheless ongoing.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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