Over 150 S'porean students caught in crossfire between Harvard & Trump administration

There are over 150 Singaporean students currently enrolled at Harvard University.

They are now left feeling uncertain and confused after the United States (U.S.) Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced on May 22 that Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Programme certification had been revoked with immediate effect.

The revocation would affect the roughly 6,800 international students currently at Harvard.

DHS said it revoked the certification because the private school's leadership "has created an unsafe campus environment by permitting anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators to harass and physically assault individuals, including many Jewish students, and otherwise obstruct its once-venerable learning environment."

“Many of these agitators are foreign students," DHS said.

This is the latest salvo in the Trump administration's escalating standoff with Harvard.

Confusion & anxiety sets in

Several Singaporean students at Harvard spoke to The Straits Times about their predicament.

Many told ST that they were feeling anxious and nervous, and did not know what to expect.

Others lamented that while they have had the opportunity to attend Harvard, Singaporeans in the future might be barred from doing so.

Students reported being offered support by fellow students and faculty members.

The university administration, meanwhile, had reportedly told students to "wait for updates".

In its statement, the university said it was working "quickly to provide guidance and support to members of our community."

It also said the administration's action undermines Harvard's "academic and research mission."

According to Noem's letter, Harvard will have to comply with a list of demands to have an "opportunity" to be able to enrol international students again.

Noem also said it was a "privilege, not a right" to enrol foreign students and "benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments".

Noem's letter says Harvard has 72 hours to comply with the demands.

Top photo from Harvard