The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) stated on Monday that the visas and immigration statuses of nine of their international students and researchers were revoked without any prior warning, reported the Boston Globe.
In a letter addressed to the MIT community, the university president expressed concern over the move which could lead to a deficit in talented researchers and students.
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“Since April 4, nine members of our community – students, recent graduates and postdocs – have had their visas and immigration status unexpectedly revoked,” Kornbluth wrote, adding that there was an alarming lack of warnings or any reasoning behind the decisions.
MIT is not the only one, universities across America such as Harvard, Stanford and more have faced the effects of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.
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As per a CBS report, the Trump administration has canceled the visas of nearly 530 students, faculty and researchers across 88 colleges and universities in the US.
“These actions are interfering with the normal functioning of MIT. They diminish our ability both to serve the nation and to attract the world’s finest talent,” Kornbluth said.
Harvard University funding frozen
The Trump administration on Monday froze approximately $2.3 billion in federal funding to Harvard University after they refused to comply with directives to reduce student activism and dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes.
A government task force on antisemitism announced, as reported by Reuters, that they planned to freeze $2.2 billion of multiyear grants and $60 million in grants after Harvard rejected their demands.
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Harvard declared that they planned to borrow $750 million in bonds amid a contingency to allow their research and academic programmes to have adequate funding.
In response to the funding freeze, Harvard University’s president Alan Garber said, “It makes clear that the intention is not to work with us to address antisemitism cooperatively and constructively.”
He added, “Although some of the demands outlined by the government are aimed at combating antisemitism, the majority represent direct governmental regulation of the ‘intellectual conditions’ at Harvard.”
