Julia Christine Botin

'We are not the enemy': International students at Harvard speak out

Article (news)

Reuters Wires

Students and faculty at Harvard University rallied on campus on Tuesday (May 27) in a show of support for international students, urging the university to stand firm amid escalating federal pressure. “We are not the enemy, you do not have to fight us,” said Oscar Escobar of Colombia, who recently earned a Master’s in Public Administration at Harvard.The protest comes as the U.S. government moves to sever ties with the Ivy League institution. In a letter sent Tuesday, the U.S. General Services Administration directed federal agencies to review and potentially terminate or reallocate their remaining contracts with Harvard—estimated by one official at around $100 million.The government has already canceled nearly $3 billion in federal research grants for the university and moved last week to revoke its ability to enroll international students. Those students—roughly 6,800 in total—make up about 27% of Harvard’s enrollment.A federal judge in Boston on Friday (May 23) temporarily blocked the Department of Homeland Security from revoking international student enrollment. During a brief court session on Tuesday, a Department of Justice lawyer said the administration is complying with the order but is still weighing its options.Harvard is suing the administration over the moves, arguing they violate due process and infringe on free speech protections under the First Amendment by targeting the university’s staff, curriculum, and enrollment choices.In an interview with NPR released Tuesday, Harvard University President Alan Garber called the administration’s actions “perplexing,” adding that while the campus has its own internal issues to address, “As long as there has been a United States of America, Harvard has thought that its role is to serve the nation.”(Production: Aleksandra Michaelska, Deborah Lutterbeck)

Students and faculty at Harvard University rallied on campus on Tuesday (May 27) in a show of support for international students, urging the university to stand firm amid escalating federal pressure.

Students and faculty at Harvard University rallied on campus on Tuesday (May 27) in a show of support for international students, urging the university to stand firm amid escalating federal pressure.

'We are not the enemy': International students at Harvard speak out

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'We are not the enemy': International students at Harvard speak out

Reuters,

Reuters

Published May 28, 2025 10:22 AM PHT

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