President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation to suspend international visas for new students at Harvard University, the White House announced Wednesday, in a dramatic escalation of its efforts to block foreign nationals from enrolling at the elite university.

The efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration have struck at Harvard's identity and unsettled current and prospect students around the world.

The university called it “yet another illegal retaliatory step” from an administration that has sought ways to circumnavigate the courts in its push to bar foreign students.