Rep. Stephen Lynch blasts Trump administration following Harvard sanctions

BOSTON — As the feud between Harvard University and President Donald Trump’s administration escalates, Massachusetts Congressman Stephen Lynch scolded the president for his decision to revoke Harvard’s ability to enroll foreign students.

The administration escalated its standoff with Harvard University on Thursday by revoking the school’s ability to enroll international students before a federal judge temporarily blocked the ruling on Friday.

"It’s just disgraceful that we’re treating foreign students this way," Lynch said. “The attacks against our area especially, you know, when you think about the reputation of Harvard University, when you think about research money that has been cut from health and human services that so many of the researchers in this area rely upon, and the world relies upon, this is so wrong-headed, everything that the White House is doing, I just stand in opposition to all that crap.”

The government told Harvard’s thousands of current foreign students that they must transfer to other schools or they will lose their legal permission to be in the U.S. A federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration from cutting off Harvard’s enrollment of foreign students, an action the Ivy League school decried as unconstitutional retaliation for defying the White House’s political demands.

“This president and this administration is dragging this country down, down, every single day in the eyes of the world, in the eyes of its own citizens, you now, the people he has assembled in his administration are a goddamn disgrace, disgrace. It will take years, maybe decades, to repair the damage that Donald Trump and that group of morons and buffoons is doing to this country each and every day," Lynch continued.

Lynch also criticized the President for his handling of the press and “attacks” on the judicial system.

"Due process, the Constitution, the very ideals that this country was based upon, are under attack because of that moron. That’s this malevolent fool who is attacking this country from the inside. You know, I worry for my country. I really worry for my country, you know, the direction he is taking us in. It’s not a good one. And I think America has to wake up."

The government can and does remove colleges from the Student Exchange and Visitor Program, making them ineligible to host foreign students on their campus. However, it’s usually for administrative reasons outlined in law, such as failing to maintain accreditation, lacking proper facilities for classes, failing to employ qualified professional personnel — even failing to “operate as a bona fide institution of learning.” Other colleges are removed when they close.

Harvard’s battle with the Trump administration dates to early April. The storied institution became the first elite college to refuse to comply with the government’s demands to limit pro-Palestinian protests and eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion policies. That kicked off a series of escalating actions against Harvard. Various federal agencies, including DHS and the National Institutes of Health, have cut their grant funding to Harvard, significantly impacting research projects conducted by faculty. Harvard has sued the administration, seeking to end the grant freeze.

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