The White House said Wednesday that Donald Trump signed a declaration to limit Harvard's foreign student visas.

The announcement is the latest attempt by the U.S. president to stifle the Ivy League schools from an international pipeline that accounts for a quarter of the student body and further escalates the White House’s battle with the institution.

Trump announced in an executive order signed on Wednesday that it would endanger national security and enable Harvard to continue to host foreign students on its campus.

"I have determined that the interest of the above-mentioned foreign nationals' class entering the United States is harmful because, in my judgment, Harvard's actions make it an unsuitable destination for foreign students and researchers," Trump wrote in the order.

The Trump administration has been in a tense standoff with Harvard, the oldest and richest university in the United States.

The government has asked the university to implement a broad list of far-reaching reforms that will undermine its independence.

Since then, Trump officials have cut millions of dollars in research funding to universities, and Trump has ordered federal agencies to cut ties with schools.

Recently, the government has taken active action to try to prevent school enrollment. Last month, it revoked the university’s student and communication visitor program certification in a battle with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) record request. Federal courts in Boston blocked the DHS ban on international students at Harvard University last week.

Last week, the government ordered us to conduct social media screening worldwide, screening every visa applicant seeking a trip to college.

Trump's order on Wednesday cites legal authority different from the early actions of the Department of Homeland Security. Trump said the legal grounds for the ban were part of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which “authorized the president to suspend entering any class of foreigners who would be detrimental to the interests of the United States.”

"President Trump wants our institution to have foreign students, but thinks foreign students should be people who can love our country," the White House said in a statement about the announcement.

The announcement suspended entry into the U.S. for any new Harvard student visa and directed the Secretary of State to consider revoking the existing visa.