The Trump administration on Thursday said it would halt Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students, taking aim at a crucial funding source for the nation’s oldest and wealthiest college in a major escalation of the administration’s efforts to pressure the elite school to fall in line with the president’s agenda.
川普政府週四表示，將終止哈佛大學招收國際學生的資質，此舉旨在切斷這所美國歷史最悠久、財力最雄厚大學的關鍵資金來源，標誌著美國政府為迫使這所精英學府服從總統議程而採取的施壓行動大幅升級。
The administration notified Harvard about the decision — which could affect about a quarter of the school’s student body — after a back-and-forth in recent weeks over the legality of a sprawling records request as part of the Department of Homeland Security’s investigation, according to three people with knowledge of the negotiations. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
據三名了解談判情況的人士透露，在最近幾週，作為國土安全部調查的一部分，政府就一項龐大的記錄調閱請求的合法性進行了反覆討論，之後，政府將這一決定通知了哈佛大學——這可能會影響該校大約四分之一的學生群體。由於無權公開討論相關事宜，這三人要求在文中匿名。
The latest move intensifies the administration’s attempt to upend the culture of higher education by directly subverting the ability of one of the nation’s premier universities to attract the best and brightest students from all over the world. That capability, across all of academia, has long been one of the greatest sources of academic, economic and scientific strength in America.
這一最新舉措將直接削弱美國一流大學吸引全世界最優秀、最聰明的學生的能力，讓政府顛覆高等教育文化的企圖更進一步。長久以來，這種匯聚天下英才的能力正是美國學術、經濟和科學實力的主要來源之一。
It is also likely to prompt a second legal challenge from Harvard, according to another person familiar with the school’s thinking who insisted on anonymity to discuss private deliberations. The university sued the Trump administration last month over the government’s attempt to impose changes to its curriculum, admissions policies and hiring practices.
據另一位熟悉哈佛校方想法的消息人士透露，此舉很可能促使哈佛大學再次發起法律訴訟。由於涉及內部討論，該人士堅持要求匿名。上個月，哈佛大學已就聯邦政府試圖強制其修改課程設置、招生政策及聘用制度起訴川普政府。
廣告
“I am writing to inform you that effective immediately, Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification is revoked,” a letter to the university from Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, said. A copy of the letter was obtained by The New York Times.
國土安全部部長克里斯蒂·諾姆在致哈佛的信中寫道：「我特此通知，哈佛大學的學生和訪問學者項目認證即日起撤銷。」《紐約時報》獲得了這封信的副本。
The Department of Homeland Security said the action applied to current and future students.
國土安全部表示，這一措施適用於現有和未來的國際學生。
“Harvard can no longer enroll foreign students, and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status,” the department said in a news release after Ms. Noem posted the administration’s letter on social media later on Thursday.
諾姆週四晚些時候在社群媒體上發布了這封信，國土安全部隨後在一份新聞稿中說：「哈佛大學不能再招收外國學生，現有的外國學生必須轉學，否則將失去合法身份。」
About 6,800 international students attended Harvard in the 2024-25 school year, or roughly 27 percent of the student body, according to university enrollment data. That was up from 19.7 percent in 2010-11.
根據哈佛大學的招生數據，2024–25學年約有6800名國際學生在哈佛就讀，約佔學生總數的27%。這一比例高於2010–11學年的19.7%。
The administration’s decision is likely to have a significant effect on the university’s bottom line. Tuition at Harvard is $59,320 for the 2025-26 school year, and costs can rise to nearly $87,000 when room and board are included. International students tend to pay larger shares of education costs compared with other students. (Harvard notes it is need-blind for all students, regardless of nationality.)
政府的決定可能對該校的財務狀況產生重大影響。哈佛2025–26學年學費為59320美元，加上食宿可能接近87,000美元。與其他學生相比，國際學生通常承擔更高比例的教育費用（哈佛校方強調其「免於經濟考量」的錄取原則適用於所有學生，不考慮國際因素）。
A spokesman for Harvard called the administration’s action “unlawful.”
哈佛大學發言人譴責政府此舉「不合法」。
廣告
“We are fully committed to maintaining Harvard’s ability to host our international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the university — and this nation — immeasurably,” said Jason Newton, the university’s director of media relations. “We are working quickly to provide guidance and support to members of our community. This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission.”
哈佛大學媒體關係主任傑森·紐頓表示：「我們堅決捍衛哈佛接納國際學生與學者的權利。他們來自140多個國家，極大地豐富了哈佛大學和這個國家。我們正迅速採取行動，為受影響群體提供指導與支持。這一報復行動將對哈佛社群乃至整個美國造成嚴重傷害，更將動搖哈佛的學術和研究使命。」
The federal student visa program is overseen by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is part of Ms. Noem’s department. The agency is responsible for vetting international students — and certifying universities, community colleges and high schools that participate.
聯邦學生簽證項目由移民和海關執法局監管，該機構隸屬於諾姆領導的國土安全部。該機構負責審核國際學生，並對參與的大學、社區學院和高中進行認證。
Federal regulations stipulate how and why a school’s certification can be revoked. One way is the failure to comply with specific reporting requirements, a rule Ms. Noem’s letter mentioned. Harvard has maintained that what Ms. Noem had asked for exceeded what is required by law.
聯邦監管規則規定了撤銷學校認證的方式和理由。諾姆的信函提到，其中一條理由是未能遵守特定報告要求。哈佛則堅稱，諾姆的要求超出了法律規定的範圍。
“This is unprecedented,” said Andrea Flores, who was a D.H.S. official under President Barack Obama and is now the vice president of immigration policy at FWD.us, an immigration advocacy group. “D.H.S. has never tried to reshape the student body of a university by revoking access to its vetting systems, and it is unique to target one institution over hundreds that it certifies every year.”
「此舉史無前例，」曾擔任歐巴馬政府國土安全部官員、現任移民倡導組織FWD.us移民政策副總裁的安德烈亞·弗洛雷斯表示。「國土安全部從未通過將學校逐出其資質認證系統來重塑其學生構成，在每年涉及數百所院校的認證中單獨針對某一所高校更是絕無僅有。」
Leo Gerden, a senior at Harvard from Stockholm who has been a staunch advocate on campus for international students, said he was devastated by the news.
來自斯德哥爾摩的哈佛大四學生里奧·格登一直是校園內國際學生權益的堅定倡導者。他表示，這一消息令他感到震驚。
“Without its international students and without its ability to bring in the best people from around the world, Harvard is not going to be Harvard anymore,” said Mr. Gerden, who graduates next week.
「沒有了國際學生，失去了從全球吸引最優秀人才的能力，哈佛將不再是哈佛，」將於下週畢業的格登說道。
廣告
“The Trump administration is using us as poker chips right now,” he added. “It is extremely dangerous.”
「川普政府正在把我們當成牌局裡的籌碼，」他補充道，「這種做法極其危險。」
Harvard has been praised for fighting back against President Trump and his administration, and legal experts have said the school has a strong case to get back the federal funding for its research that the administration stripped from the school.
哈佛大學因對抗川普總統及其政府而廣受讚譽，法律專家表示，該校有充分的法律依據拿回被政府剝奪的聯邦研究經費。
But the administration’s move is the latest example of why senior Harvard officials have been privately concerned that they are in the midst of an untenable crisis as the administration continues to target the school with onerous investigations and extensive funding cuts.
但政府的舉措再次證明哈佛高層私下裡所擔心的事：隨著政府持續以繁重的調查和大規模資金削減為手段針對該校，他們正陷入一場難以承受的危機。
Even if the Trump administration is forced to return research funding to Harvard, the university is contending with additional government-imposed burdens, like a recently opened investigation by the Justice Department into the school’s admission policies that includes a cumbersome records request.
即便川普政府最終被迫恢復哈佛的研究經費，這所名校仍面臨更多政府強加的負擔，譬如司法部最近針對其招生政策啟動的調查，其中包含繁冗的檔案調閱要求。
The decision from Ms. Noem on Thursday stemmed from a separate investigation her agency opened on April 16. In a letter to the school, she demanded a trove of information on student visa holders, saying that the college had “created a hostile learning environment for Jewish students.”
諾姆週四的決定源於她的機構於4月16日啟動的另一項調查。她在致哈佛的信中要求提供大量國際學生簽證持有者的信息，稱該校「為猶太學生創造了一個充滿敵意的學習環境」。
Her request included eight criteria, including the coursework for every international student and information on any student visa holder who had been involved in illegal activity.
她的調閱清單包含八項標準：既要求提供每個國際學生的課程作業，又要求上報涉及非法活動的國際學生簽證持有者信息。
廣告
News of the investigation unnerved many students and alumni, and raised concerns among the university’s lawyers that the administration’s request went beyond data that the school was legally allowed to share, according to people familiar with the matter.
據知情人士透露，調查的消息令眾多學生與校友感到不安，也引發校方法律團隊的擔憂——政府的要求已超出學校依法可共享的數據範圍。
Harvard relayed those concerns to the administration on April 30. On the same day, the university’s executive vice president, Meredith Weenick, issued a public letter that vowed the school would provide the administration only with information “required by law” and urged students to “stay as focused as possible on your academic pursuits.”
4月30日，哈佛大學向政府轉達了這些擔憂。同一天，該校執行副校長梅雷迪斯·韋尼克發表公開信，誓言學校只會向政府提供「法律要求」的信息，並敦促學生「盡可能專注於學業」。
The administration responded the following week, notifying Harvard that the school’s response did not satisfy Ms. Noem’s request, the people said. In the same message, the administration appeared to narrow its request by asking for information on international students who met any one of four criteria.
知情人士稱，政府在接下來的一週作出回應，告知哈佛，校方的回覆未能滿足諾姆的要求。在同一封信中，政府似乎縮小了信息調取範圍，只要求提供符合四項條件中任何一項的國際學生的信息。
Last week, Harvard told the administration that only a few students met those qualifications and asked the government for additional clarification on one of the requests.
上週，哈佛告訴政府，只有極少數學生符合這些標準，並要求政府進一步澄清其中一項要求。
Then, on Thursday, Ms. Noem disqualified Harvard from the student visa program, explaining that her decision was because of the university’s “failure to comply with simple reporting requirements.”
隨後，諾姆於本週四取消了哈佛大學的國際學生簽證項目資格，並解釋稱，她的決定是因為該校「未能遵守簡單的上報要求」。
She then expanded the list of criteria for student records to six, and gave Harvard 72 hours to comply.
隨後，她將學生檔案的調閱標準從四項增至六項，並勒令哈佛大學在72小時內完成。