Harvard community rallies for international students

As the Trump administration takes aim at Harvard University's international students, members of the school community rallied on their behalf Tuesday.

President Donald Trump's attacks on Harvard have continued to intensify, with the government now looking to end all remaining federal contracts with the school.

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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced last week that she was terminating Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, barring the school from enrolling foreign students and requiring those currently enrolled to transfer or else lose their legal status.

A federal judge has blocked that move pending a lawsuit.

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The federal government is reportedly seeking to end all contracts with Harvard University, which would be the latest escalation in their battle. On campus, students say the uncertain fate of their friends has cast a pall over the upcoming commencement.

On Tuesday, as graduating students prepare for commencement, community members stood up for their classmates.

"When immigrants are under attack, what do we do?" one man asked at the rally.

"Stand up, fight back," the crowd responded.

"Leaving this place, knowing that the campus might not be the same next semester, it is truly hanging over all of this commencement week," said student Leo Gerdèn.

"There's still the opportunity for our international community to be here, but at any moment, that could be stripped, and they could be sent back home," said student Victor Flores.

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Thousands of Harvard alumni also joined a virtual rally to speak out against Trump's targeted cuts to the school. After $3.2 billion in grants from the government were frozen, the president has now instructed federal agencies to cut all remaining contracts.

"The attacks on Harvard University and institutions of higher education across the country mirror the moves we see in authoritarian regimes that seek to suppress knowledge and independent thought," said Jessica Tang, a Harvard alum.

The government's dispute with the university is directly impacting classrooms.

"It's hard to concentrate on the things that you should care about, which is telling students what they should read and what they should write and all those sort of things, because you know what they're worried about, and you know what you're worried about," said Ryan Enos, a professor of government.