DHS Secretary Noem revoked Harvard's SEVP certification, threatening enrollment of ~6,000 international students

On May 22, 2025, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem summarily revoked Harvard University's Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification — the administrative authorization that allows universities to enroll international students on F-1, J-1, and M-1 visas. The revocation, announced via a DHS press release citing alleged "pro-terrorist conduct" and cooperation with the Chinese Communist Party, was issued with no independent factual finding, no SEVP compliance proceeding, and no adjudicatory process.

The action immediately threatened the lawful status of more than 6,000 international students and scholars enrolled at Harvard, who had committed no individual wrong and whose only connection to the dispute was their enrollment at a university the administration had targeted for its refusal to comply with federal demands. Harvard filed for a Temporary Restraining Order the following day; District Judge Allison Burroughs granted the TRO on May 23, and a preliminary injunction issued June 20 extended the block pending full litigation.

The revocation was one of several coordinated federal actions against Harvard initiated in spring 2025 after the university declined to accept administration demands that it restructure academic programs, faculty governance, and admissions. By weaponizing SEVP certification — a regulatory mechanism never previously used as political leverage — DHS demonstrated a willingness to inflict mass harm on innocent third parties in order to coerce an institution into compliance.