Donald Trump vs Ivy schools: A timeline of how pro-Palestine protests snowballed into crackdown on international students | World News

After multiple presidential threats and millions cut in funding, the Trump adminrations new action against the prestigious Harvard University is expected to leave other Ivy League institutes in a frenzy. The Donald Trump-led US government on Thursday revoked Harvard’s certification to host international students, leaving thousands on student visa drifting in uncertainty.The revocation, ordered US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), blocked Harvard’s access to the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). This comes after the Homeland Security accused the university of creating a hostile environment for Jewish students, and promoting a pro-Hamas narrative through its protest culture and DEI initiatives.
Homeland Security Secretary Kri Noem said in a letter dated May 22 to Harvard University, “I am writing to inform you that effective immediately, Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Programme certification is revoked.” The development also threatens to impact hundreds of students from India, who are studying at Harvard University.
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While this comes as a big blow to the educational institute, this is not the first time that Donald Trump and Harvard have locked horns. The tensions between the US adminration and the Ivy League school began days after Trump was sworn in as the President in January this year, with the conflict intensifying with each passing month.
Harvard, visas and the White House: How Trump adminration’s move will affect international studentsIvy League giants’ pro-Palestine protests catch Trump’s eye
Pro-Palestine protests became a part of the campus in Harvard University after university’s former President Claudine Gay’s testimony before Congress sparked an outrage, majorly from Republicans, who called for greater actions against the university. A series of protests across Ivy League universities in the United States throughout 2024 sparked a wave of mass arrests and suspension of faculty members, eventually becoming a talking point in the 2024 US Presidential election.
Universities such as Brown, Cornell, Northwestern, Princeton and Penn-U were on the radar of Republicans after pro-Palestine protests on campuses were being called out for their “antisemitic” and “anti-America” narrative. During the election campaign, the Republican party accused international students of inciting these protests, which ended in clashes between the cops and campus members.Story continues below this ad
Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th US President in January 2025, with one of his first actions being calling out universities such as Harvard and Columbia for allowing pro-Palestine protests on campus, amounting to antisemitism, and creating an “unsafe” environment for Jewish students.
Trump vs Ivy League universities: A timeline of dispute
On January 29, days after being sworn in as the 47th US President, Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for protection of Jewish students on campuses, and a tougher action against antisemitism in universities. While this order did not name any specific university, Leo Terrell was appointed the head of the Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism. Terrell, a lawyer and former talk show host, shortly retweeted an X post calling him “Harvard’s worst nightmare.”

On February 27, a letter the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division was sent to Harvard and Columbia, among other institutes, demanding a meeting with top management and “on-campus Jewish groups” pertaining to the antisemitism order issued Trump. A day later, the antisemitism task force announced it will visit 10 universities regarding the the same, with Harvard being on the l.
On March 10, the Trump adminration took its first direct action against Harvard, Columbia, NYU and 60 other universities, terming that the Ivy League giants are under investigation for potential Civil Rights Act violations “relating to antisemitic harassment and discrimination.”Story continues below this ad
On March 27, Harvard University’s funding came under scrutiny when the United States government said that it is conducting an official review “of all Federal contracts and grants” awarded to the university. This led to a back-and-forth between the Trump adminration and Harvard over the accusations of antisemitism a potential threat on billions of dollars of funds.
On April 14, the Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism announced that funds worth $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and $60 million in contract value allotted to Harvard is being put on hold. The university, in a lawsuit against the action, said that after the freeze order, Harvard began recieving ‘stop work’ orders.
A day after the funding halt, Donald Trump posted on Truth Social, “Perhaps Harvard should lose its Tax Exempt Status and be Taxed as a Political Entity if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terror inspired/supporting ‘Sickness?’”
While dozens of universities came under scrutiny of the antisemitism task force, the Trump adminration cracked down on 10 schools with swift action – Columbia; George Washington University; Harvard; Johns Hopkins University; New York University; Northwestern; the University of California, Berkeley; the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of Minnesota; and the University of Southern California.Story continues below this ad
Critics of Trump adminration were quick to point out that most of these schools are in states or federal dricts that voted for the Democratic ticket in the 2024 elections. Major funding cuts and hold on grants were imposed in dozens of universities, impacting research operations and educational endeavors across multiple departments.
Funding cuts across Harvard, Columbia and more
Harvard University remains the worst hit among all when it comes to funding cuts the new US adminration, with funds worth $2.2 billion cancelled after the school publicly turned down the demands put forth the antisemitism task force.
Brown University currently stands to lose around $510 million in funding if it doesn’t align to the recommendations made the Trump adminration. Columbia University may recover its funding cut of over $400 million after it bowed to a l of demands from the federal government.
Cornell and Northwestern both are likely to lose nearly $1 billion each. The University of Pennsylvania witnessed funding cuts of over $175 million after it was targeted for allowing transgender women to participate in sports.Story continues below this ad
In April end, many universities expressed their desire to cooperate with the government to prevent any more cuts, while several schools seemed puzzled the action, insing that they actively battle antisemitism on campus.
On May 21, the Trump adminration on Thursday ordered the Department of Homeland Security to terminate Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Programme (SEVP) certification, revoking the university’s right to enroll international students. This action the US government is likely to spark a wave of nervousness among international students in other Ivy League colleges currently under scrutiny.