Washington — The Trump administration said Wednesday that it will be sending administrative subpoenas to Harvard University for information about its foreign students, the latest escalation in its ongoing battle with the Ivy League school.
The Department of Homeland Security said the demand for information relates to Harvard’s certification under the Student Visitor and Exchange Program, through which the university can enroll international students.
The administration first demanded Harvard hand over detailed records on its foreign student visa holders’ alleged “illegal and violent” activities in April. The school said in court filings that it turned over the information, but the Department of Homeland Security said it was “insufficient” and yanked the school’s ability to enroll international students.
Harvard has since sued the Trump administration, and a federal judge in Boston barred it from revoking the school’s ability to enroll foreign students last month.
In announcing the subpoenas, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused Harvard and other unnamed universities of allowing “foreign students to abuse their visa privileges and advocate for violence and terrorism on campus.”
“If Harvard won’t defend the interests of its students, then we will,” she wrote on X. “We tried to do things the easy way with Harvard. Now, through their refusal to cooperate, we have to do things the hard way.”
The department also warned other universities that have received similar requests for information that they should “take note of Harvard’s actions, and the repercussions” when deciding whether to comply.
In response to the administration’s demands, Harvard said in a statement that it is “committed to following the law, and while the government’s subpoenas are unwarranted, the university will continue to cooperate with lawful requests and obligations.”
“The administration’s ongoing retaliatory actions come as Harvard continues to defend itself and its students, faculty, and staff against harmful government overreach aimed at dictating whom private universities can admit and hire, and what they can teach,” the university said. “Harvard remains unwavering in its efforts to protect its community and its core principles against unfounded retribution by the federal government.”
Separately, the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services threatened Harvard’s accreditation. The two agencies said Wednesday they notified the New England Commission of Higher Education that Harvard violated federal antidiscrimination laws and therefore may fail to meet its accreditation standards. The Trump administration said late last month that Harvard violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act through its treatment of Jewish and Israeli students
“By allowing antisemitic harassment and discrimination to persist unchecked on its campus, Harvard University has failed in its obligation to students, educators, and American taxpayers,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. “The Department of Education expects the New England Commission of Higher Education to enforce its policies and practices, and to keep the Department fully informed of its efforts to ensure that Harvard is in compliance with federal law and accreditor standards.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pledged sustained oversight of Harvard.
“When an institution — no matter how prestigious — abandons its mission and fails to protect its students, it forfeits the legitimacy that accreditation is designed to uphold,” he said in a statement.
Since President Trump returned to the White House in January, his administration has mounted persistent efforts to punish the school largely over what it said was its failure to condemn antisemitism and protect Jewish students on campus. Federal agencies froze billions of dollars in grants and contracts, and targeted its international-student population. Mr. Trump has also threatened to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status, and the university is under investigation by numerous agencies.
Harvard has also filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its efforts to strip it of federal dollars. A hearing in that case is set for July 21.
