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The U.S. government announced on Wednesday that it has subpoenaed Harvard University for documents related to students allegedly involved in a series of pro-Palestinian protests that the Trump administration has labelled as anti-Semitic.
Since taking office for a second term in January, President Donald Trump has focused on prominent American universities, alleging they exhibit a bias towards anti-Jewish hatred and “woke” ideologies.
Trump has begun a political and economic campaign against Harvard, revoking its funding and demanding detailed information about foreign students, whom he has repeatedly sought to prevent the prestigious university from enrolling and hosting.
The administration has depicted widespread campus demonstrations and sit-ins across the U.S. that call for an end to Israel’s actions in Gaza as “anti-Semitic,” and has moved to expel foreign students and faculty members who participated in these protests.
“After many previous requests to hand over relevant information concerning foreign students, DHS will now send subpoenas forcing Harvard to comply,” the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement.
On the same day, Washington informed the agency responsible for Harvard’s accreditation that it should be revoked after determining last week that the university violated federal civil rights provisions by not adequately protecting Jewish students.
Harvard issued a statement stating, “While the government’s subpoenas are unwarranted, the University will continue to cooperate with lawful requests and obligations,” adding that the measure was “retaliatory.”
Harvard was among many U.S. institutions swept up in the surge of student protests against the Gaza war.
Trump has made student protests, especially those involving international scholars, a key political issue.
A proclamation issued by the White House last month aimed to prevent most new international students from entering Harvard, stating that current foreign students faced the risk of having their visas cancelled.
Harvard legally challenged this move, and a judge subsequently blocked the administration from implementing the policy.
International students at Harvard, who represented 27 per cent of the total enrollment for the 2024-2025 academic year, are a significant revenue source for the Ivy League school.
The government has already cut approximately $3.2 billion in federal grants and contracts that supported Harvard and has pledged to exclude the institution from any future federal financial assistance.
Harvard has been a focal point in Trump’s campaign against elite universities after it resisted his requests for oversight regarding its curriculum, faculty, student recruitment, and “viewpoint diversity.”
In contrast to Harvard, several leading institutions, such as Columbia University in New York, have already acquiesced to extensive demands from the Trump administration.
