Harvard Kennedy School students push back on Trump's demands amid visa revocations and threats to $9B in funding

More than 180 students at Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) have expressed strong opposition to President Donald Trump's demands, urging Harvard's leadership to reject his ultimatum that threatens the university's $9 billion in federal funding. In a letter addressed to HKS Dean Jeremy M. Weinstein and Harvard President Alan M. Garber '76, the students outlined their demands for the university to uphold academic freedom, protect international students, and maintain its independence.
The letter comes in response to Trump's directive to Harvard to impose restrictions on student protests and halt diversity programming in exchange for continued federal funding. The students argue that such demands would stifle free speech and endanger academic values, particularly as 59% of Harvard's student body is made up of international students, many of whom are at risk due to recent visa revocations.
International students and visa concerns
As reported by The Harvard Crimson, the open letter emphasizes the university's duty to protect international students, particularly following a wave of visa revocations. Since the beginning of April, 12 Harvard affiliates, including seven current students, have had their student visas revoked. While the university was not notified about the reasons behind these revocations, more than 600 students across the US have lost their visa status, often for reasons related to political activism, including pro-Palestine statements.
Organizers of the letter, who requested anonymity for non-citizen and international students, say the priority is to ensure that the university does not collaborate with law enforcement in ways that would compromise students' rights. The letter urges Harvard to limit cooperation with federal agencies, sharing personal information only when absolutely necessary by law. As reported by The Harvard Crimson, the students argue, "The decisions and actions you take in the coming weeks and months will not just drastically alter our experience as students, it will change the greater meaning of free intellectual pursuit within higher education across the country, and the world."
A broader movement across Harvard
The letter, titled "Our Resolve," is part of a broader student-led movement at Harvard to push back against Trump's administration's actions. HKS students are not acting alone; there have been similar letters of protest from students at other Harvard schools, including the Harvard School of Public Health. The letter to Weinstein and Garber is seen as a means of exerting pressure on the administration to resist Trump's policies and protect the university's commitment to academic freedom.
The students have also called on Harvard to resist any changes to the "time, place, and manner" policies for student advocacy and to reject the push to centralize disciplinary authority under administrative control. As quoted by The Harvard Crimson, HKS student Daniela Schulman, a first-year master's student in public policy, stated, "We are really trying to help him [Dean Weinstein] better advocate for us and for the protection of HKS students internally."
The uncertain future for Harvard's funding
While Harvard's funding remains uncertain, Trump's administration has already taken steps to freeze federal funding to other universities, such as Cornell and Northwestern. As reported by The Harvard Crimson, reports also suggest that Trump plans to place Columbia University under the oversight of a federal judge, further escalating the standoff between the administration and higher education institutions across the US.