'Trump is scapegoating us': Harvard international students anxious and proud
Published: 28 May. 2025, 15:07
Updated: 28 May. 2025, 18:58
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- LIM JEONG-WON
- [email protected]
Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI
![People hold up signs during the Harvard Students for Freedom rally in support of international students at Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 27. [AP/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/05/28/8fb07c10-be96-4b04-9e82-fed37f0109a4.jpg)
People hold up signs during the Harvard Students for Freedom rally in support of international students at Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 27. [AP/YONHAP]
U.S. President Donald Trump administration’s pushback against Harvard has less to do with antagonism toward international students themselves and is more of a strategy using the weakest scapegoat in a push to punish the liberal school, students observed.
“I think the recent threats are to use international students, who are weak, as a hostage to clamp down on the liberal values of Harvard,” said an international student at the university who spoke on condition of anonymity. “In the long run, if polices such as those of Trump against international students continue, the United States will lose the inflow of brains and talent.”
All students who spoke to the Korea JoongAng Daily requested strict anonymity, including information about their nationalities, departments within Harvard and expected year of graduation to avoid giving away any identifiers.
There are currently a total of 252 Korean nationals at Harvard, including both undergraduate and graduate students, according to Havard’s Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs. The school is arguably the most well-known institution outside of Korea to Koreans, famous for its prestige and academic vigor.
With Trump’s threats to halt Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students, the student body is experiencing juxtaposed emotions — anxiety following the hostile administration’s ultimatum and pride regarding the university’s defiance.
![Ryan Enos, a government professor at Harvard University, speaks at a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's recent sanctions against Harvard in front of Science Center Plaza in Cambridge, Massachusetts on May 27. [AP/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/05/28/d2ff67be-baf0-4fd8-93de-83909325bf1b.jpg)
Ryan Enos, a government professor at Harvard University, speaks at a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's recent sanctions against Harvard in front of Science Center Plaza in Cambridge, Massachusetts on May 27. [AP/YONHAP]
“I feel two kinds of emotions — of course I am offended and disappointed. As an international student, I think that this kind of move will ultimately drain the United States of talent that has been flowing into the country,” said a student. “And on the other, hand I feel a kind of pride in the belief that Harvard is making the right decision in defying Trump’s demands.”
The Trump administration dealt a menacing blow to Harvard last Thursday, announcing that it would stop the university from enrolling international students — a significant portion of the student body and a key funding source for the institution.
Over 6,700 international students currently attend Harvard, making up 27 percent of the student population.
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Kristi Noem, U.S. secretary of Homeland Security, reportedly sent a letter to the university on Thursday notifying Harvard that “effective immediately,” the student and exchange visitor program certification was being revoked.
Although a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order on Friday blocking the Trump administration from actually revoking Harvard’s ability to enroll international students, Trump immediately shot back, writing on Truth Social on Sunday that the home countries of the university’s international students are "not at all friendly to the United States" and "pay nothing toward their student's education."
Harvard remains defiant, with the university’s lawyers sending a letter on Monday rejecting a list of demands the Trump administration had sent as part of ongoing reviews of universities.
![People hold up signs during the Harvard Students for Freedom rally in support of international students at the Harvard University campus in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 27. [AP/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/05/28/dd5070b9-0190-476f-9639-6a4d999de9f3.jpg)
People hold up signs during the Harvard Students for Freedom rally in support of international students at the Harvard University campus in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 27. [AP/YONHAP]
Students attending Harvard feel a mix of emotions as the university’s community deals with these developments, and find that the university administration has been mostly “transparent and fair” in informing students of updates and in offering support programs.
“The Harvard International Office (HIO) has been running a question-and-answer program and a counseling center for international students who have queries and who are experiencing anxiety over the recent news,” said the first student. “The school has been constantly updating us through emails on what is going on, and I think that their response has been transparent and fair.”
“The HIO is trying hard, but they are short on staff and there isn’t much the university can do at this point,” said another Harvard international student, however.
![Protesters listen to Harvard University students speak at a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's recent sanctions on Harvard in front of the Science Center Plaza in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 27. [AP/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/05/28/6d7489eb-3046-44a6-8ccd-e670a3e88923.jpg)
Protesters listen to Harvard University students speak at a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's recent sanctions on Harvard in front of the Science Center Plaza in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 27. [AP/YONHAP]
Many international students within the university are changing their study or career plans following the news, often at the risk of compromising the quality of their work, the second student said.
“The real problem is with graduate students needing Optional Practical Training work authorization extended by the F-1 visa,” the student said. “I know a lot of students who are scrambling to get their thesis committees rescheduled and graduate earlier because of the recent threats.”
Some international students are considering transferring to different schools, as many universities across the world have offered to accept Harvard students after Trump’s threats. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology was the first to offer an “open invitation” to Harvard’s international students, with the University of Tokyo and other institutions following suit.
International students at Harvard have been feeling acute anxiety; the community in recent days is increasingly sharing information on whether visas have been revoked or whether anyone has experienced difficulties getting through customs in Boston.
![Harvard's Lowell House towers over the campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts ,on May 27. [EPA/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/05/28/7a26aee9-fecc-4662-ae9e-65b41911b365.jpg)
Harvard's Lowell House towers over the campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts ,on May 27. [EPA/YONHAP]
No cases of visa revocation or customs difficulties have been shared yet, the first student noted, while another aspect of the current situation facing international students at Harvard has been the overwhelming support they have received from U.S. citizens.
“I received so many messages from U.S. friends and acquaintances asking me if I was all right, and there is a sense of solidarity amidst all this,” said the first student.
“I wouldn’t say that any of this isn’t expected — we saw this coming since April, and that’s when people were really panicking,” said the second student. “I think the message that this is sending out is that the United States is only for Americans, that there is no place even for an intelligent international student who can and is willing to contribute to U.S. society.”
“This will have a lot of repercussions for how prospective students choose where they want to study and how much the United States will lose such students,” the second student added.
![The Harvard University crest adorns the side of a campus services vehicle on campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 27. [EPA/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/05/28/1afaca61-e2bb-4472-8b52-ec23f7df240e.jpg)
The Harvard University crest adorns the side of a campus services vehicle on campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 27. [EPA/YONHAP]
BY LIM JEONG-WON, KANG TAE-HWA [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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