Harvard sued US President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday, deepening tensions between the Ivy League university and the federal government over allegations of campus anti-Semitism and political pressure.
The lawsuit, filed in a Massachusetts federal court, comes after the Trump administration announced a freeze on billions of dollars in federal funds earmarked for Harvard’s academic research and programs.
At the heart of the case is Harvard’s claim that the government is trying to force the university to give up its independence by tying funding to political demands. The complaint argues that the federal government is using financial threats to influence Harvard’s internal policies, especially regarding admissions, hiring, and how it handles political protests.
“This case involves the Government’s efforts to use the withholding of federal funding as leverage to gain control of academic decision making at Harvard,” the university stated in the lawsuit. The document also described the administration’s actions as “arbitrary and capricious.”
President Trump had earlier accused Harvard of turning a blind eye to anti-Semitic incidents during protests over Israel’s actions in Gaza, which spread across U.S. campuses last year. While Harvard did take action—placing 23 students on probation and denying diplomas to a dozen more—Trump remained unsatisfied, calling the university “a JOKE” on his Truth Social account and insisting it “teaches Hate and Stupidity.”
Last week, Trump ordered a halt to $2.2 billion in federal funding for Harvard, claiming the school had failed to meet federal expectations and continued to harbor discriminatory practices. He also pushed for unprecedented oversight of Harvard’s internal operations, which the university firmly rejected.
Harvard President Alan Garber noted that federal agencies had launched several investigations into the university’s activities but stressed that the school would not negotiate its values or legal rights. “We will not compromise Harvard’s independence,” Garber said.
The Department of Homeland Security has also entered the fray, warning that Harvard’s ability to enroll foreign students may be suspended unless it complies with new demands, including providing details about international students allegedly involved in protests. Foreign students currently make up over a quarter of Harvard’s student body.
“Make no mistake: Harvard rejects anti-Semitism and discrimination in all of its forms and is actively making structural reforms to eradicate anti-Semitism on campus,” the lawsuit reads. “But rather than engage with Harvard regarding those ongoing efforts, the Government announced a sweeping freeze of funding for medical, scientific, technological, and other research that has nothing at all to do with anti-Semitism.”
