Graduate students at the graduation ceremony at Harvard University in Massachusetts on May 29 - Photo: REUTERS
According to a telegram obtained by Reuters on May 30, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has instructed all diplomatic missions abroad to begin additional checks on visa applications of those intending to visit Harvard University for any purpose.
This category includes, but is not limited to, current and prospective students, faculty, staff, contractors, speakers, and visitors intending to visit Harvard.
According to the cable, Harvard University failed to maintain an “environment free of violence and anti-Semitism,” and the additional screening was intended to help consular officers detect visa applicants “with a history of anti-Semitic harassment or violence.”
Washington has imposed additional screening measures on citizens of several countries, but this is the first time the US government has applied strict visa measures directly targeting a university.
Responding via email to questions about the cable, a State Department spokesman said the department does not comment on internal documents or communications.
The move is also part of the Trump administration's tightening immigration policy, and follows a previous request to stop accepting new student and exchange visa interview appointments.
The increased scrutiny of Harvard-related visa applications is seen as “a pilot for expanding scrutiny and screening of visa applicants,” the cable said.
This raises the possibility that the measures taken against Harvard and current visa applicants could be used as a model for other universities in the future, Reuters reported.
The order also directs consular officers to consider questioning an applicant's integrity if their social media accounts are set to private, and to require them to make their accounts public.
Trump's war with Harvard
Mr. Trump accused America's top universities of being incubators of anti-Americanism.
The US government has taken a series of drastic measures against Harvard, including freezing billions of dollars in funding, proposing to end its tax-exempt status and opening an investigation into whether the prestigious school discriminates against whites, Asians, men or heterosexuals.
The Trump administration also recently revoked Harvard’s international admissions authority, a move that was later blocked by a federal judge.
Harvard believes the administration is retaliating because the school has not accepted demands to control its leadership, curriculum, and the thinking of its faculty and students.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/chinh-quyen-trump-ra-soat-ky-moi-ho-so-xin-visa-lien-quan-dai-hoc-harvard-20250530231351987.htm
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