US State Department resumes processing Harvard student visas after judge's ruling
WASHINGTON: The United States State Department directed all US missions abroad and consular sections to resume processing Harvard University student and exchange visitor visas after a federal judge in Boston last week temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's latest ban on foreign students at the Ivy League institution.
In a diplomatic cable sent last Friday (Jun 6) and signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department cited parts of the judge's decision, saying the fresh directive was "in accordance with" the temporary restraining order.
Under that order granted to Harvard late last Thursday, US District Judge Allison Burroughs blocked Trump's proclamation from taking effect pending further litigation of the matter.
Trump had cited national security concerns as justification for barring international students from entering the United States to pursue studies at Harvard.
The Trump administration has launched a multi-pronged attack on the nation's oldest and wealthiest university, freezing billions of dollars in grants and other funding and proposing to end its tax-exempt status, prompting a series of legal challenges.
Harvard argues that the administration is retaliating against it for refusing to accede to demands to control the school's governance, curriculum and the ideology of its faculty and students.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In the cable, the State Department added that all other guidance regarding student visas remained in effect, including enhanced social media vetting and the requirement to review the applicants' online presence.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
44 minutes ago
- CNA
US judge orders release of pro-Palestinian activist Khalil
NEW YORK: A US judge ordered on Friday (Jun 20) that Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil be released from immigration custody, a major victory for rights groups that challenged what they called the Trump administration's unlawful targeting of a pro-Palestinian activist. Khalil, a prominent figure in pro-Palestinian protests against Israel's war on Gaza, was arrested by immigration agents in the lobby of his university residence in Manhattan on Mar 8. President Donald Trump has called the protests antisemitic and vowed to deport foreign students who took part. Khalil condemned antisemitism and racism in interviews with CNN and other news outlets last year. A legal permanent resident of the United States, he says he is being punished for his political speech in violation of the US Constitution's First Amendment. US District Judge Michael Farbiarz of Newark, New Jersey, ruled on Jun 11 that the government was violating Khalil's free speech rights by detaining him under a little-used law granting the US secretary of state power to seek deportation of non-citizens whose presence in the country was deemed adverse to US foreign policy interests. However, the judge declined on Jun 13 to order Khalil's release from a detention centre in Jena, Louisiana, after the Trump administration said Khalil was being held on a separate charge that he withheld information from his application for lawful permanent residency. Khalil's lawyers deny that allegation and say people are rarely detained on such charges. On Jun 16, they urged Farbiarz to grant a separate request from their client to be released on bail, or be transferred to immigration detention in New Jersey, to be closer to his family in New York. Khalil, 30, became a US permanent resident last year, and his wife and newborn son are US citizens. Trump administration lawyers wrote in a Jun 17 filing that Khalil's request for release should be addressed to the judge overseeing his immigration case, an administrative process over whether he can be deported, rather than to Farbiarz, who is considering whether Khalil's Mar 8 arrest and subsequent detention were constitutional.
CNA
3 hours ago
- CNA
Oil prices slip as US sanctions ease fears of escalation in Iran
HOUSTON :Oil prices slipped on Friday as the U.S. imposed new Iran-related sanctions marking a diplomatic approach that fed hopes of a negotiated agreement, a day after President Donald Trump said he might take two weeks to decide U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict. Brent crude futures were down $2.27, or 2.9 per cent, to $76.58 a barrel by 11:48 a.m. EDT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude for July - which did not settle on Thursday as it was a U.S. holiday and expires on Friday - was down 21 cents or 0.3 per cent at $74.93. The more liquid August contract was down around 0.1 per cent, or 5 cents, to $73.45. Brent was on track to rise 3.2 per cent on the week, while front-month U.S. crude futures were set to increase by 2.7 per cent. President Donald Trump's administration has issued fresh Iran-related sanctions, including on two entities based in Hong Kong, and counter-terrorism-related sanctions, according to a notice posted to the U.S. Treasury Department website. The sanctions target at least 20 entities, five individuals and three vessels, according to Treasury's Office of Foreign Asset Control. "Those sanctions are cutting both ways, they may be part of a broader negotiation approach towards Iran. The fact they are undertaking this is a signal they are trying to resolve this outside of conflict," said John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital in New York. Prices jumped almost 3 per cent on Thursday after Israel bombed nuclear targets in Iran, while Iran - OPEC's third-largest producer - fired missiles and drones at Israel. Neither side showed any sign of backing down in the week-old war. Brent prices retreated after the White House said President Donald Trump would decide whether the United States would get involved in the Israel-Iran conflict in the next two weeks. 'Although a major escalation is yet to occur, risks to supply from the region remain high, still hinging upon the potential for U.S. involvement,' said Russell Shor, senior market analyst at Meanwhile, Israel seeks genuine efforts on Iran's nuclear capabilities from Friday's meeting between European and Iranian ministers, not just another round of talks, Israel's UN ambassador said. "However, while Israel and Iran carry on pounding away at each other, there can always be an unintended action that escalates the conflict and touches upon oil infrastructure," PVM analyst John Evans said. Iran has in the past threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for Middle East oil exports. However, oil exports so far have not been disrupted and there is no shortage of supply, said Giovanni Staunovo, an analyst at UBS. "The direction of oil prices from here will depend on whether there are supply disruptions." An escalation of the conflict in such a way that Israel attacks export infrastructure or Iran disrupts shipping through the strait could lead to $100 per barrel of oil being a reality, said Panmure Liberum analyst Ashley Kelty.
CNA
13 hours ago
- CNA
US social media vetting for visas: What should prospective students do?
SINGAPORE: The United States' move to tighten social media screening for visas has left some foreign students perplexed and contemplating deleting their online accounts. Experts meanwhile have highlighted the challenges in scrubbing digital footprints, as well as the potential chilling effect of the new requirements. President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday (Jun 18) ordered the resumption of scheduling appointments for international student visas after nearly a month-long pause. But all applicants will now be required to make their social media accounts public for review. In an internal state department cable dated Jun 18, US consular officers were directed to conduct "comprehensive and thorough vetting" of all student and exchange visitor applicants to identify those who "bear hostile attitudes toward our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles". New applicants who refuse to unlock their social media accounts and allow them to be reviewed may be rejected. The Trump administration on May 27 first ordered its missions abroad to stop scheduling new interviews for student and exchange visitor visa applicants as it prepared to expand social media vetting of foreign students. "HOPING THEY DON'T FIND IT" The move has left prospective students and those renewing their visas in a state of panic, with some turning online to try and clarify the new rules. One student wrote on social media platform Reddit that they were "not sure how to go about" the tightened vetting. The Swedish national was in the process of renewing their F-1 visa, which allows foreigners to enter the US as a full-time student at an accredited educational institution. The student said they had always only listed their Facebook account on the online nonimmigrant visa application form, known as DS-160; but also has accounts on Instagram and TikTok where they repost "political stuff". While the posts have since been removed, the student wondered if the best option may be to deactivate those accounts and indicate that they only used Facebook. Commenting on the discussion, another student said they deactivated all unused social media accounts such as those on Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter. "I'm planning on deactivating my main Instagram account where I do repost political stuff too and it's private (I don't want to make it public), but I don't know if this is good advice," the Redditor wrote. Both students were also unclear if government officials would be able to find accounts that did not have their real names. "We don't know what tools they'll be using, it's all unclear now. I'm hoping they don't find it," one of them wrote. WHAT SHOULD STUDENTS DO? The US was likely looking for posts or comments that were critical of the country's policies and of President Trump in particular, as well as those that support causes the US is against such as the diversity, equity and inclusion or DEI programmes that have come under attack, said Dr Tracy Loh, senior lecturer of communication management at the Singapore Management University (SMU). She recommended avoiding posting or commenting on such issues or deleting such posts, noting that "safe" content would those that were personal in nature such as birthday celebrations and family gatherings. "Immigration officers will most likely randomly scroll through social media accounts to check. I doubt that they would have the time or expertise to recover deleted posts or to investigate the accounts in great detail," said Dr Loh, who teaches at the Lee Kong Chian School of Business. But if the US government does check thoroughly, it would be unlikely for anyone to hide their digital footprint entirely, said associate professor Brian Lee Chin Hin from the School of Humanities and Behavioural Sciences at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS). There may be screenshots or reposts by others and the US authorities may have already captured the posts that they deem questionable, said the head of the university's communication programme, adding that there are tools to check archived versions of posts. Last-minute mass deletion may also look like an attempt to hide dubious past activities. "One strategy is to focus on deleting the most sensitive content rather than trying to erase all posts, or making an account private all of a sudden," Assoc Prof Lee said. He added that in his opinion, back-up mechanisms by various social media platforms and web archives would make it "unlikely" to wipe off all the posts entirely from the internet. Both experts also cautioned against having undisclosed accounts. "If you hide, lie or have fake accounts and get found out, such actions will most probably be held against you," said SMU's Dr Loh. Those who do not have any form of social media presence may be required to justify why, and creating a new account or profile last minute would look too "staged", said Assoc Prof Lee. Students who come under this group could thus also be "negatively" affected besides those who actively post their views that may be deemed problematic to the US authorities. On the implications of the vetting process, Dr Loh said this creates a "chilling effect" and constitutes censorship. SUSS' Assoc Prof Lee, meanwhile, called the situation "unfortunate".
