Indonesian Students at Harvard Face Uncertainty

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The decision of United States President Donald Trump to revoke Harvard University's permit to accept international students has left Indonesian students in uncertainty. Those who have graduated and are currently working, those who are pursuing their education, and those who are about to begin their studies are all in a state of uncertainty.

Maria Cellina Wijaya, a graduate of the Global Health Department at Harvard University, who was contacted from Jakarta on Friday (23/5/2025), explained that after President Trump's decision, her fellow students still in Boston, USA, chose to wait. They are waiting for Harvard University's stance, which has been requested to submit data on foreign students to the federal government within 72 hours.

"Friends who are still there choose to wait," said Cellina, who decided to return to Indonesia in March 2025 after observing that the situation in the US was less supportive.

She chose to return to Indonesia while still interning as a research assistant. "I will graduate in May 2024. Then, I will be interning as a research assistant for my professor. This internship is supposed to end in June 2025. However, seeing the unfavorable conditions, I decided to go home," Cellina stated.

Since Trump resumed leadership in the US, research funding for professors at Harvard has been halted as of February. "My professor's research has also come to a standstill. The campus has also stopped new recruitments, including for my position," he stated.

As a result, Cellina continued, if she continued working, she believed her work contract would not be extended. The situation was even more unfavorable because Cellina was working on a student visa.

Likewise, his friends who have graduated and are also working. They work on a study visa.

"With the ban that Trump conveyed, if the study permit is canceled, the work permit is also canceled. If the permit is revoked, the presence in the US is immediately considered illegal," said Cellina.

From an online conversation in the class group, according to Cellina, friends who have completed their studies and are about to graduate are safe. The issues lie with those who are currently in their first year transitioning to their second year or those who will be entering this year.

"It is also unclear what the status is," said Cellina, who is now teaching Public Health at the Faculty of Medicine, Ciputra University, Surabaya.

For Cellina, the decision to return was the right one. During her time in the United States, she witnessed the actions of immigration officers who were searching for international students on campuses.

"In Boston, there are many campuses. Officials from the US Immigration Department often question international students about their study visas," said Cellina.

She observed that there were many students detained by ICE officers for not being able to immediately present the requested documents. "That is why the Embassy or Consulate General issued a recommendation for Indonesian students to carry their passports and study visa documents as a precaution," said Cellina.

Meanwhile, Indonesian students are awaiting uncertainty in the United States, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning stated at a daily press conference in Beijing that the Chinese government will firmly protect the rights and interests of Chinese students and scholars abroad. However, Mao did not provide any details on how this would be implemented in the current situation.

“Such actions by the US side will only damage its own image and international credibility,” Mao said.

The decision of the Trump administration has also become a hot topic on Chinese social media. A broadcaster on the state television CCTV questioned whether the United States would remain the primary destination for international students. Currently, Harvard has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government in court.

“However, with the long litigation period, thousands of international students may have difficulty waiting,” CCTV commented.

It also stated that international students should consider other options when policy uncertainty becomes the norm.

The German government, in addition to condemning the decision of the US government, also took immediate action to protect German students studying in the US. On Friday, Germany condemned the "fatal" decision of the US government to revoke Harvard University's right to accept foreign students. Germany also urged the Trump administration to reconsider that decision.

German Research Minister Dorothee Baer stated to Bayern 2 radio station that she hopes the US government will reverse its decision. "This is not a positive signal, neither for the younger generation nor for the free world," she said.

Baer added, "I never imagined we would reach this point, where the point of academic freedom would one day be questioned."

“However, I do not give up hope that the ‘land of the free’ will one day live up to its name,” Baer said.

A German Foreign Ministry spokesman said the German Foreign Ministry would talk to the US State Department about German students at Harvard.

"We are aware that the number of German students studying at Harvard has reached three digits. Therefore, we will soon discuss this with our partners in the US regarding its impact on German students," said the spokesperson anonymously.

"We will also express our hopes in this discussion that the concerns and interests of German students there will be appropriately considered," he added. (AP/AFP/REUTERS)