Trump administration halts Harvard University’s eligibility to enrol Int'l students: NYT report
New York, May 22 (PTI): In an unprecedented development, the Trump administration has revoked Harvard University’s eligibility to enrol international students.
A report in the New York Times cited a letter sent to Harvard University by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem.
In the letter, Noem writes, “I am writing to inform you that effective immediately, Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification is revoked.”
The NYT report said the development is a major escalation in the administration’s efforts to pressure the college to fall in line with the president’s agenda.
The administration notified Harvard about the decision after a “back-and-forth” in recent days “over the legality of a sprawling records request as part of the Department of Homeland Security’s investigation,” the report said, citing people with knowledge of the negotiations.
In April, Noem had written a “scathing letter” demanding detailed records on Harvard’s foreign student visa holders’ illegal and violent activities by April 30.
The DHS had said that Harvard would otherwise face immediate loss of Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification, a DHS news release had said.
“Harvard bending the knee to antisemitism — driven by its spineless leadership — fuels a cesspool of extremist riots and threatens our national security,” Noem had said.
“With anti-American, pro-Hamas ideology poisoning its campus and classrooms, Harvard’s position as a top institution of higher learning is a distant memory. America demands more from universities entrusted with taxpayer dollars.”
The DHS had said that since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Harvard’s foreign visa-holding rioters and faculty have spewed antisemitic hate, targeting Jewish students.
“With a USD 53.2 billion endowment, Harvard can fund its own chaos — DHS won’t. And if Harvard cannot verify it is in full compliance with its reporting requirements, the university will lose the privilege of enrolling foreign students.”
American universities can host international students on student visas only if they have certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program.
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Kasaragod: ED books Kunhahmed Musliyar Memorial Trust for FCRA violation
New Delhi (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate has registered a forex violation case against a Kerala-based charitable organisation for receiving Rs 220 crore from abroad in alleged violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).
The investigation pertains to Kunhahmed Musliyar Memorial Trust located in Kasargod and its chairman Ibrahim Ahmad Ali, an NRI.
Searches were conducted under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) at two locations in Kasargod on Thursday in connection with the case, the ED said in a statement.
The Trust, according to the ED, received more than Rs 220 crore since 2021 from Ibrahim Ahmad Ali, which was reflected in the books of accounts as "unsecured" loans.
However, no loan agreement, interest rate terms, or repayment schedule were available, and no repayment had been made till date, the probe agency said.
The probe found that these funds were received by Ali from a UAE company named Universal Lubricants LLC.
In the absence of supporting documents and in view of the clarification given under a section of the FCRA, the said loan prima facie qualified as "foreign contribution" under FCRA, the statement said.
According to the ED, the Trust is "not registered" under the FCRA and does not possess the "mandatory permission" or a designated FCRA bank account to receive foreign contributions.
It was found that a part of these foreign contributions was "utilised" for the purchase of agricultural land in India, in violation of the existing regulations.
The search action found that the Trust received Rs 2.49 crore in "cash" from Ali in violation of FEMA provisions.
"During the search, incriminating documents, ledger accounts showing unsecured loans of Rs 220 crore, the cash book of the Trust, and a hard disk containing financial data were seized," the ED said.
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