Trump’s Student Visa Policy at Harvard Draws Attention from Foreign Ministry

Jakarta: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to closely monitor developments in the United States (US) immigration policy. This includes the ban on Harvard University from accepting foreign students.

The policy has created uncertainty for the fate of international students from various countries studying at Harvard University, including 87 students from Indonesia.

"While waiting for the legal process by Harvard University, the Indonesian Representative in the United States has established intensive communication with Indonesian students at Harvard University and appealed to them to remain calm," said the Director of Protection of Indonesian Citizens at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Judha Nugraha, Tuesday, May 27, 2025.

"The Indonesian Representative in the US is ready to provide consular assistance to Indonesian students who are affected," said Judha.

"The Indonesian government has also expressed its concern about this problem to the US government and hopes that there will be a solution that does not harm the fate of Indonesian students at Harvard University," added Judha.

Indonesian students in the US have made many important contributions to the advancement of education and science in the US.

The trouble came as President Donald Trump issued a surprise ban on Harvard admitting foreign students on Thursday, May 23, 2025. A U.S. federal judge on Friday, May 24, 2025, blocked the government from revoking Harvard University’s ability to admit foreign students just hours after the elite college sued the Trump administration.

U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston issued the temporary restraining order Friday morning, freezing the policy that had been abruptly imposed on the university, based near Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Thursday.

Harvard announced Friday morning that it was challenging the Trump administration’s decision to ban the Ivy League school from admitting foreign students, calling it unconstitutional retaliation for the school’s previous defiance of White House political demands.

"The administration's actions violate the First Amendment of the US Constitution and will have an immediate and devastating impact on Harvard and its more than 7,000 visa holders," said the lawsuit filed in federal court in Boston, as quoted by the Guardian, Saturday, May 24, 2025.

"With the stroke of a pen, the administration has attempted to eliminate a quarter of Harvard's student body, international students who contribute significantly to the university and its mission," Harvard said in its lawsuit.

The institution added that it plans to file a temporary restraining order to block the Department of Homeland Security from taking the action.

Trump's plan also affects big names who study at the university. Among those students is Cleo Carney, the daughter of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has just completed her first year at Harvard. She is an undergraduate student in the resource efficiency program.

Another high-profile student who is being targeted is Princess Elisabeth of Belgium. She is the heir to the Belgian throne and has just completed her first year of a two-year master's program in public policy at Harvard Kennedy School.

Princess Elisabeth is currently in Belgium. According to the Royal Palace, he is awaiting clarification on whether he can return for a second year at Harvard University.