Around midnight on April 16, 2025, after Chen Zimo learned that the Department of Homeland Security had threatened to revoke Harvard University’s certification to enroll international students, he began communicating with a trusted source about possible legal scenarios.

The latest criticism from the Trump administration of Harvard University highlighted the number of international students entering the United States each year for higher education.

The National University of Singapore said in a Facebook post about its programs that the city "happens to be a short plane trip from Bali and Phuket."