Stand with Indian students in US even as Modi govt remains ' mute spectator' Cong

New Delhi, May 23 (PTI) With the Trump administration having revoked Harvard University's eligibility to enrol foreign students, the Congress on Friday said it stands in solidarity with the thousands of Indian students being affected even as the Modi government remains a "mute spectator" to the US president's "continuing assaults" on universities and research institutions.
     The Trump administration has revoked Harvard University's eligibility to enrol foreign students, raising concerns over the legal status of thousands of students, including nearly 800 from India, currently enrolled at the varsity.
     In an unprecedented development, the Trump administration on Thursday ordered the Department of Homeland Security to terminate Harvard University's Student and Exchange Visitor Programme (SEVP) certification.
     Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "One of the key -- perhaps even the most important -- elements of the US's soft power and influence across the world for good is its fantastic universities and research institutions. India has and is benefitting from them hugely."
     "Even as the Modi government remains a mute spectator to President Trump's continuing assaults on these universities and research institutions, the Indian National Congress stands in solidarity with the thousands of Indian students being affected," he said.
     Harvard has sued the Trump administration over its "unlawful and unwarranted" decision to revoke the university's certification to enrol foreign students, asserting that without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.
     Harvard University has filed an over 70-page lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts Friday against the Trump administration, including the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice and State Department as well as against the agencies' leaders, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
     For more than 70 years, Harvard University has been certified by the federal government to enrol international students under the F-1 visa programme, and it has long been designated as an exchange programme sponsor to host J-1 non-immigrants, the university said in the lawsuit.
     Harvard has, over this time, developed programmes and degrees tailored to its international students, invested millions to recruit the most talented such students and integrated its international students into all aspects of the Harvard community, it said.
     On Thursday, the government abruptly revoked that certification without process or cause, to immediate and devastating effect for Harvard and more than 7,000 visa holders, Harvard said.
     Effective immediately, most of Harvard's thousands of enrolled F-1 and J-1 visa students (and their more than 300 dependents) will have little choice but to secure a transfer to another school or risk being rendered without lawful status in the United States. Effective immediately, Harvard can no longer sponsor F-1 and J-1 visa holders for its upcoming summer and fall terms, despite having admitted thousands.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)