The decision was made public by Secretary Kristi Noem of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

 "Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country," Noem said in a statement.

 "Enrolling international students is a privilege — not a right — and that privilege has been revoked due to Harvard’s repeated failure to comply with federal law."

 In addition to prohibiting new international students from enrolling, DHS stated that "existing foreign students must transfer to lose their legal status."

 Harvard responded by releasing a statement denouncing the administration's conduct as damaging and illegal.

"We are fully committed to maintaining Harvard’s ability to host our international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the University — and this nation — immeasurably," stated the statement.

 "We are moving swiftly to offer direction and assistance to our community members.  This retaliatory move undercuts Harvard's academic and research mission and poses a major threat to the Harvard community and our nation.

 After Harvard rejected calls to end its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and assess foreign students for ideological issues, the administration in April blocked 2.2 billion dollars in federal subsidies to the university.

 According to official records, more than 27% of Harvard's student body was international as of the fall 2023 semester.