Trump orders universities to monitor, deport pro-Palestine international students
President Donald Trump has issued an executive order instructing universities, including Harvard, to monitor international students involved in pro-Palestine protests, warning that those found breaking laws could face deportation.

File Source: Reuters
President Donald Trump has issued an executive order instructing universities, including Harvard, to monitor international students involved in pro-Palestine protests, warning that those found breaking laws could face deportation. The order, signed Wednesday evening, is part of a broader effort to combat antisemitism on college campuses.
The directive gives federal agencies, including the Department of Education, 60 days to compile reports on civil rights violations related to antisemitism since October 7, 2023. A key section specifically calls for universities to supervise, investigate, and, if necessary, expel international students and staff members found in violation of U.S. laws while supporting Palestine.
“To all the resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests, we put you on notice: come 2025, we will find you, and we will deport you,” Trump wrote in a fact sheet accompanying the order.
Despite earlier reports suggesting the administration planned to revoke visas for international students involved in pro-Palestine demonstrations, the final order does not explicitly include such a directive. Instead, it states that university reports could lead “as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to investigations and, if warranted, actions to remove such aliens.”
The move follows a series of executive orders targeting higher education institutions, including an attempt to terminate diversity programs and a now-blocked freeze on federal grant payments. The Trump administration has also directed the Department of Education to create a database of all Title VI complaints and administrative actions handled by its Office for Civil Rights after October 7.
Harvard quietly closed a Title VI complaint regarding the treatment of Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian students shortly before Trump took office. The Office for Civil Rights had found that the university failed to properly protect these students.
Trump accused the Biden administration of neglecting Jewish students and failing to stand against antisemitism, declaring in the order that this “is unacceptable and ends today.” A Harvard spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.