On the same day the Trump administration asked federal agencies to cut roughly $100 million in contracts with Harvard University, dozens of students gathered for a rally in support of their international classmates whose status with the school remains uncertain.
Last week, the White House announced Harvard University would no longer be able to enroll international students, who make up roughly 27% of the school’s total enrollment. Within 24 hours, Harvard sued the administration, and a federal judge put a temporary block on the order.
International students scared
At Tuesday’s protest, some graduating international students said they weren’t sure they would make it to graduation day.
“When a man looks at me a couple more seconds than usual my heartbeat goes up because it might be an ICE agent who’s about to detain me,” said Leo Terrell to the crowd. Other students shared stories from their international classmates who were too nervous to go public for fear of retaliation.
“I talk regularly with some first years I know who are so scared right now,” said graduating senior Ace Meija-Sanchez. “They don’t know whether they are going to be here or shipped back to their home country. It’s been really terrifying. The whole community has felt it.”
In a letter sent to federal agencies on Tuesday, the General Services Administration urged for all remaining contracts with Harvard to be cut and cited what it called Harvard’s “disturbing lack of concern for the safety and wellbeing of Jewish students,” as one of the reasons for cutting funds.
Federal grants cut
Last month, the White House cut more than $2.2 billion in federal grants to Harvard, after the school refused to respond to a list of demands.
In an interview with NPR on Tuesday, Harvard University President Alan Garber said those grants are awarded to universities to do the work the federal government deems as high priority. “It is work they want done,” Garber said to NPR. “They are paying to have that work conducted. Shutting off that work does not help the country. Even as it punished Harvard, it is hard to see the link between that and antisemitism.”