Protesters rally in support of detained Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil outside Columbia University in New York on March 14, 2025. (Photo by social media)
The US government has launched an extensive crackdown on higher education institutions, freezing over $1 billion in funding for Cornell University and $790 million for Northwestern, as well as revoking hundreds of visas for international students.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, on Tuesday announced that Donald Trump's administration has frozen funding for the two universities as part of an investigation into alleged civil rights violations.
The funding freeze, which primarily affects grants and contracts from federal departments such as health, education, agriculture, and defense, has raised concerns among university officials and students.
Both Cornell and Northwestern have reported that they have not received formal notifications regarding the specifics or total amount of the funding freeze and are actively seeking clarification from the government.
Cornell mentioned receiving stop-work orders related to projects in defense, health, and cyber security, while Northwestern expressed anxiety over the potential repercussions for critical research projects, including advancements in medical technology.
These actions appear to target universities that have supported pro-Palestinian protests, with institutions like Harvard, Columbia, and Princeton also facing scrutiny. The Trump administration has suspended numerous research grants linked to these universities.
Last month, the Trump administration warned 60 universities, including Cornell and Northwestern, that enforcement actions could be taken if it determined they failed to address what it termed anti-Semitism (pro-Palestine demonstrations).
Moreover, a controversial policy has led to the revocation of hundreds of international student visas, forcing many students to leave the US within a matter of days.
These visa cancelations have affected students in states such as California, Colorado, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, Massachusetts, and Florida, creating significant turmoil within the academic community and leaving students uncertain about their futures, especially those on the verge of graduation.
Immigration experts have described the scale of these visa revocations as unprecedented. Len Saunders, a Washington state immigration attorney, said, "To hear that something like 300 visas were cancelled out of the blue … it's all political."
The exact number of students affected is unclear, but many reportedly participated in campus protests and hail from West Asia. While some students have successfully appealed their visa status in the past, the current wave of cancelations has left many without options.
In response to the growing uncertainty, the American Council on Education and 15 other higher education groups have requested a briefing from federal officials to clarify the decision-making process regarding international students and the potential implications for the future of US higher education.
The situation has sparked protests at various universities, including the University of Arizona. Colorado State University and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst have initiated efforts to support students affected by visa cancelations, offering financial aid and legal resources.
Trump has begun to act on a threat to deport non-citizen university activists linked to pro-Palestine protests, which rocked the US last spring, with students staging daily protests in college campuses across the country for weeks.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has publicly stated that he has revoked at least 300 visas from students he labeled as "lunatics" for their pro-Palestinian support or activism, which is typically protected under First Amendment rights
Trump officials have accused these students of being “adversarial to the foreign policy and national security interests” of the US over their condemnation of Israel’s months-long genocidal war on Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
