The Trump administration has intensified its dispute with Harvard University, threatening to revoke the prestigious university's accreditation due to claims of antisemitism on campus and international student programmes.
The Departments of Education and Health and Human Services said in a joint statement on Tuesday that they had informed Harvard's accrediting body that the university may have broken federal law by neglecting to investigate allegations of harassment against Jewish students during the protests against Israel’s war on Palestine, The Indian Express reports.
Due to this crackdown, Harvard students may not be able to receive federal financial help if they lose their accreditation, among other dire repercussions.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed on X that it attempted "to do things the easy way with Harvard," but it was unable to work with it. It went on to say that "we have to do things the hard way."
“If Harvard won’t defend the interests of its students, then we will,” it further wrote.
The DHS announced plans to send administrative subpoenas to Harvard, accusing the university of refusing to submit information concerning its student visiting and exchange programme certifications.
The decision is the latest in a string of forceful moves by the Trump administration against prestigious universities, which officials accuse of fostering "leftist" ideologies on their campuses and failing to protect Jewish students amid pro-Palestine protests, the latter echoing several pro-Israel groups' claims.
Harvard officials have yet to respond publicly to these developments.
