Jakarta. Indonesia said Tuesday that it had spoken to the US government after American President Donald Trump barred Harvard University from accepting foreign students, thus putting many of Jakarta’s youths in jeopardy.

The Trump administration last week revoked the Ivy League school’s ability to accept foreign students, citing national security risks and ideological extremism concerns. Harvard immediately sued the federal government in court. It did not take long for a federal judge to temporarily block the government from making such changes. Foreign Ministry spokesman Rolliansyah “Roy” Soemirat said that the Indonesian government was fully aware of the ongoing situation and would keep an eye on the developments of Trump’s immigration policies, as well as the international enrollment ban at Harvard.

“The policy has led to uncertainties on what would happen to the foreign students at Harvard, including the 87 Indonesian students there,” Roy told the press.

“The Indonesian government has also expressed concerns over this issue to the US government. We also hope that there will be a solution that will not put the Indonesian students in Harvard at a disadvantage,” Roy added.

The senior diplomat said that Indonesian students in the US had largely contributed to American education and technological advancements.

Harvard reported that foreigners made up 27.2 percent of the students who enrolled in the school for the 2024-2025 school year. This is equivalent to about 6,793 international students. Harvard has been in an escalating battle with Trump as the government tried to pressure one of the country’s oldest institutions to align with his agenda.

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