The US State Department ordered all its consular missions overseas to begin additional vetting of visa applicants looking to travel to Harvard University for any purpose, according to an internal cable seen by Reuters yesterday, in a move that significantly expands Donald Trump’s crackdown against the academic institution.
In a cable dated May 30 and sent to all US diplomatic and consular posts, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed the immediate start of “additional vetting of any non-immigrant visa applicant seeking to travel to Harvard University for any purpose.”
Such applicants include but are not limited to students, prospective students, faculty, employees, contractors, guest speakers, and tourists, the cable said. The word “any” in the cable text is written in bold format and underlined.
Harvard University failed to maintain “a campus environment free from violence and anti-Semitism”, the cable said, and that the enhanced vetting measures were aimed at helping consular officers identify visa applicants “with histories of anti-Semitic harassment and violence.”
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