'We're being used as tools': British Harvard students share fears as Trump attempts to block foreigners attending

Students have told LBC they feel like 'pawns' in a political game amid the president's war on the university, branding it 'dehumanising'.

They say it's' 'scary and exhausting' knowing there is a chance their hard-earned places could be ripped away from them.

The US President put the plans of thousands of students into chaos last month when he announced he intends to ban international students from entering the country to study at Harvard.

While a judge has temporarily blocked the order and last week extended it, many international students fear this may only last so long as the bitter row drags on.

Read more: Judge extends block on Trump's plan to ban foreign students from Harvard University

Read more: Donald Trump proposes 15% cap on foreign students as he vows to 'make Harvard great again'

Alfred Williamson, 20, from Cardiff, is a second year Physics and Government student at Harvard.

But now, the Welshman fears his studies could get cut short thanks to Trump.

"It's scary, it's discouraging, it's exhausting," he told LBC.

"We almost can't see an end to this battle between the White House and Harvard. It just keeps going on and on and on.

"The way the White House is using international students just feels dehumanising and disturbing.

"We're being used as political tools. We're being used as pawns in this battle between the White House and Harvard, and there's absolutely nothing we can do. We just have to sit here and wait as the White House attempt to determine the trajectory of our lives."

While a US judge has temporarily blocked Trump's attempted visa ban, the feeling is still very much one of uncertainty among foreign students.

"We just have to sit here and wait as the White House attempt to determine the trajectory of our lives," Mr Williamson said.

That is despite visa processing resuming for the time being.

Leo Ackerman, 27, from Queen's Park in west London, applied to Harvard at the beginning of this year to study a masters course in education and entrepreneurship.

The Oxford graduate wants to go to Harvard to 'learn about education to think about how to create better schools for the 21st century that can hopefully benefit American people'.

But as he waits for his visa to get approved, he is also plagued by uncertainty with the prospect Trump could amp up his fight against Harvard.

When he heard the news, he felt 'very sad' because 'the idea I wouldn't be able to study in America is really disheartening.'

He added: "Stepping back and thinking about all of the students from around the world who see the US as this beacon of light in the educational world and as a place to pursue your professional and your academic ambitions, it just felt like real blow to that.

"There's still this cloud behind things, I think it would be really hard to study in peace... There's always grey areas now between what's even possible and what's not.

"I think the lack of certainty over the situation is so difficult for so many people to deal with," he added.

While Harvard has vowed to fight for the students, they told LBC the organisation has warned them nothing is 100% guaranteed.

In the academic year of 2023-2024, the Institute of International Education Open Doors found that the United States hosted a record-breaking 1.1 million international students.

The federal government revoked Harvard's certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) and stripped the University of its authority to sponsor F- and J- visas for international students.

Mr Trump also demanded to know the names and countries of origin of all of the university's 7,000 foreign-born students, claiming it was unacceptable that 31 percent of attendees were "from foreign lands".

He has since suggested limiting its foreign students intake rather than banning them altogether.

"I think they should have a cap of maybe around 15%,' he said in the Oval Office.

"We have people who want to go to Harvard and other schools. They can't get in because we have foreign students there," he added.

The Trump administration has also called on government departments to axe their remaining federal contracts with Harvard.