Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social : "We want to know who those foreign students are, a reasonable request...." --- and it started all that Visa row about Harvard !!

It all started almost all of a sudden. But the trouble was brewing ... it was 'waiting' to happen. 

Along with student visas, the State Department will be conducting a substantive investigation into B-1, or business visas; B-2, or tourist visas; as well as others.

The investigation is aimed at identifying potential security vulnerabilities or other abuses of the visa system.

The furious Trump administration accused Harvard of being in the grip of a Leftist ideology that is damaging the institution.

It quickly withheld billions of dollars in federal funding from the college, with a threat to go further. 

Now, the bigger issue. All individuals at Harvard with a visa — not just students — are under scrutiny by President Donald Trump's administration.

State Department officials have told Fox News. 

Reports say - the State Department will conduct a substantive investigation into Harvard's student, business, tourist, and other visas to identify potential security vulnerabilities or other abuses of the system.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) tried to block Harvard from enrolling international students, though a federal judge has temporarily halted the move after the college filed a complaint.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also paused all student visa appointments at U.S. consulates and embassies as his department reviews its vetting procedures.

For its part, Harvard is resisting demands from the Trump administration for sweeping reforms to its governance, admissions, and student discipline processes.

The dispute between Trump and Harvard University began in early 2025, when the administration accused Harvard of failing to adequately address antisemitism on its campus and claimed the university lacked sufficient diversity.

The administration responded by freezing more than $2 billion in federal research grants to Harvard in April.

President Trump demanded the names and countries of origin of all Harvard's international students, arguing that federal support entitled the government to such information. 

Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier this month: 

"We want to know who those foreign students are, a reasonable request since we give Harvard BILLIONS OF DOLLARS."

DHS also moved to end Harvard's participation in key federal program.

Harvard responded by filing multiple lawsuits, arguing that the administration's actions threatened academic freedom, violated constitutional rights, and could cause "immediate and irreparable injury" to both the institution and its international student body.

In court filings, Harvard reported "profound fear, concern, and confusion" among its foreign students, many of whom considered transferring or skipping graduation ceremonies.

The funding freezes and visa restrictions are part of a broader campaign led by the Trump administration against prominent universities, especially those perceived as left-leaning.

When Harvard declined to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs or apply new "screening" for international students, the White House escalated its actions, threatening further loss of funding and scrutiny.

Both sides remain locked in parallel legal, political, and public battles, with campus operations and the fate of thousands of students hanging in the balance.

"This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus," DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said. 

"It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments. Harvard had plenty of opportunity to do the right thing. 

It refused."