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Airport choice to social media: What Harvard University advised new foreign students amid Trump crackdown
The advisory comes as Harvard won a preliminary injunction against the Donald Trump administration’s efforts to block its ability to enroll foreign students.
Harvard University has advised international students to be cautious about various things while landing in the US, including social media posts and data on their electronic devices.
According to a Bloomberg report, the school also warned some groups against arriving at Boston’s Logan International Airport. The advisory was given by the representatives from Harvard’s international office and a Harvard Law School immigration support group to the new international students in a support group call held last week.
This comes as the university won a preliminary injunction against the Donald Trump administration’s efforts to block its ability to enroll foreign students.
The Harvard advisory for foreign students
Bloomberg reported, citing students who participated in the private call, that Harvard administrators warned new foreign students that US state department officials have the authority to review social media accounts for student visa applicants, while US Customs and Border Protection can examine personal electronic devices and reject entry based on their contents.
The students quoted in the report said the call's hosts included Maureen Martin, Harvard’s director of immigration services, and Jason Corral, a staff attorney at Harvard Law School’s immigration and refugee clinic.
The university representatives said it wasn't clear whether the social media and device assessment was done by federal employees or artificial intelligence (AI). The exact red flags are also not known, although the focus seems to be on pro-Palestine content or anything that could be deemed anti-Semitic. Posts derogatory to the United States and its government also appear to be a point of focus. Any previous bumps into law enforcement could also attract attention.
The school also warned that wiping devices clean risks inviting suspicion, according to the students.
Harvard’s advise to students from Iran and China
The Harvard representatives reportedly advised Iranians and Chinese nationals studying in particular fields—including science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and anything related to AI—to exercise particular caution when travelling.
Iranians specifically have faced more scrutiny at Logan Airport and should fly into New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport instead, Jason Corral reportedly said on the call. It’s not clear if other international students would face smoother immigration processes at other airports but several participants said they walked away from the call with the understanding that JFK, Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport may be better options than Boston.
Kseniia Petrova, a Russian-born Harvard researcher, was stopped by immigration officials at Logan Airport in February on her return from France and accused of attempting to smuggle frog embryos into the country. She was released on bail from federal custody by a Boston judge in June after spending four months in detention, but was indicted on additional charges later that month.
The White House has made Harvard its primary target in its mission to reshape higher education. In addition to the attempted crackdown on international student enrollment, the Trump administration has cancelled more than $2.6 billion in research funding for Harvard and threatened its tax-exempt status. The government initially accused the school of fostering antisemitism, but the attack has since broadened to include accusations of political bias and criticism of diversity initiatives in hiring and admissions.
It’s not clear if Harvard students are being treated differently than those at other universities. The Trump administration is appealing the injunction over its ban on Harvard’s international student enrollment.
