Fact Check: Harvard's international students faced transfer or illegal status under Trump's order.

Fact Check: "Harvard's international students faced transfer or illegal status under Trump's order."

What We Know

In June 2025, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation that effectively suspended the entry of new international students at Harvard University under F, M, or J visas. This proclamation also directed the Secretary of State to consider revoking existing visas for current students who met certain criteria outlined in the order (source-1). The administration's actions were justified by claims of national security concerns, citing Harvard's alleged insufficient reporting on foreign students and their activities (source-5).

In response, Harvard University filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing that the order was a violation of the First Amendment and due process rights. A federal judge temporarily blocked the implementation of the order, stating that it would cause irreparable harm to the university and its students (source-3). The ruling indicated that current students on F or J visas would need to transfer to other institutions to maintain their visa status if the order were upheld (source-2).

Analysis

The claim that "Harvard's international students faced transfer or illegal status under Trump's order" is supported by the facts surrounding the proclamation and the subsequent legal actions. The proclamation did indeed threaten the status of current international students by suggesting that their visas could be revoked, which would necessitate their transfer to other institutions to maintain legal status in the U.S. (source-2).

However, the situation is complex. The federal judge's ruling temporarily blocked the order, which means that, at least for the time being, the immediate threat to students' statuses was alleviated (source-3). This legal intervention indicates that while the order posed a significant threat, it was not enacted in a way that resulted in immediate transfers or illegal status for students.

The reliability of the sources varies. The White House fact sheet presents the administration's perspective and justifications, which may carry inherent bias. Conversely, the Harvard Gazette articles provide a more neutral account of the legal proceedings and the university's response, making them more reliable for understanding the implications of the order on students (source-2, source-3).

Conclusion

The claim is Partially True. While the Trump administration's order indeed posed a serious threat to the visa status of international students at Harvard, leading to potential transfers or illegal status, the immediate implementation of this threat was blocked by a federal judge. Therefore, while the risk was real and significant, it did not fully materialize due to legal intervention.

Fact Check: Harvard's international students faced transfer or illegal status under Trump's order.