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Washington, DC: US Congressman Ro Khanna criticized the recent decision by the Donald Trump administration to prohibit Harvard University from accepting international students. He challenged well-known tech leaders, including Elon Musk, Marc Andreessen, David Sacks, Chamath Palihapitiya, Vinod Khosla, and Reid Hoffman, to defend the ban, arguing that it cannot be justified on the basis of merit.

“Anyone from Silicon Valley willing to speak out against the Trump @JDVance ban on current and future international students at Harvard?” Khanna shared a post on X. I am aware that no tech leader, including @elonmusk, @DavidSacks, @pmarca, @chamath, @vkhosla, and @reidhoffman, can defend this on its own merits.

Harvard University, in response to Trump’s directive, denounced the ruling as illegal and unjustified, stating that it “imperils the futures of thousands of students and scholars.”

As it looks for all possible remedies, the university has filed a lawsuit and said that it intends to get a temporary restraining order.

“Yesterday, the federal government announced that it has revoked Harvard’s certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) and stripped the University of its authority to sponsor F- and J- visas for international students and scholars for the 2025-26 academic year,” the Office of the President of Harvard University said in a statement issued on Friday. The revocation is the latest in a string of government proceedings taken against Harvard for refusing to cede our academic autonomy and to comply with the unlawful federal government’s claim of authority over our staff, students, and curriculum.

Harvard reaffirmed its commitment to upholding academic freedom and promised assistance to anybody affected by the ruling, reassuring its global community.

“We condemn this unlawful and unwarranted action,” it continued. It is a warning to thousands of other people at schools and institutions around the nation who have come to America to further their education and realize their ambitions, and it puts the futures of thousands of students and academics at Harvard in jeopardy. A petition for a temporary restraining order will be made in response to the complaint we just filed. We will make every effort to assist our academics and students while we seek legal remedies. As new information becomes available, the Harvard International Office will periodically offer updates.

The White House said earlier Thursday that “Enrolling foreign students is a privilege, not a right.” The Harvard administration was charged with transforming “their once-great institution into a hotbed of anti-American, anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist agitators.”

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told CNN that “they have repeatedly failed to take action to address the widespread problems negatively impacting American students and now they must face the consequences of their actions.”

The Trump administration and Harvard have been at odds for months as the administration wants the university to end on-campus antisemitism and “racist ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ practices.” It also wants the university to change its hiring and programming policies. Because it thinks they participated in the controversial campus demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas conflict, the administration has targeted international workers and students.