Trump Administration Files Lawsuit Against Harvard, Accusing It of Failing Jewish and Israeli Students

Washington — A federal lawsuit was filed by the Trump administration against Harvard University on Friday, asserting that the institution breached federal civil rights laws by not safeguarding Jewish and Israeli students after the Hamas terror attack on October 7, 2023.

The 44-page complaint submitted to the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts contends that Harvard engaged in unlawful discrimination against these students through "intentional conduct and its deliberate indifference to discriminatory harassment," thereby fostering a hostile educational environment post-attack. The Justice Department is pursuing billions in taxpayer funds that Harvard has received from federal sources.

This lawsuit marks a continuation of the Trump administration's ongoing conflict with Harvard. Since President Trump resumed office, efforts have been made to revoke billions in federal funding, citing the university's inadequate response to antisemitism on campus.

In response, Harvard filed its own lawsuit against the administration regarding funding freezes, leading a federal judge to rule last September that the government had infringed upon Harvard's First Amendment rights and federal law by halting nearly $2 billion in federal grants.

Additionally, Trump has urged the Internal Revenue Service to revoke Harvard's tax-exempt status and attempted to restrict international students from studying at the university, although a judge intervened to block this initiative.

The Justice Department's lawsuit claims that Harvard repeatedly violated federal law by discriminating against Jewish and Israeli students "without remorse." According to government attorneys, these students faced "severe, pervasive and objectively offensive harassment" on campus, particularly during protests against Israel, due to their race or national origin.

Harvard is accused of being aware of the harassment yet failing to take action, including neglecting to enforce its own campus regulations.

"Harvard remained deliberately indifferent to a level of hostility on its campus so well-known across the nation that members of Congress were writing about it," stated administration lawyers. "Harvard also intentionally refused to enforce its campus rules — rules it enforced against others — when the victims were Jews or Israelis. This sent a clear message to Harvard's Jewish and Israeli community that the indifference was not an accident; they were being intentionally excluded and effectively denied equal access to educational opportunities."

A spokesperson for Harvard responded by stating that the university "has taken substantive, proactive steps to address the root causes of antisemitism and actively enforces anti-harassment and anti-discrimination rules and policies on campus."

"We will continue to prioritize this important work and will defend the University against this lawsuit, which represents yet another pretextual and retaliatory action by the administration for refusing to turn over control of Harvard to the federal government," the spokesperson added.

Last April, the Trump administration launched an investigation into Harvard's adherence to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, concluding in June that the prestigious institution had violated this law regarding its treatment of Jewish and Israeli students.

The administration warned that failure to implement necessary changes could result in a loss of federal financial resources. The university is projected to receive over $2.6 billion in federal grants from the Department of Health and Human Services, according to the Justice Department.

Many actions taken by the administration against Harvard are rooted in what it perceives as the university's failure to denounce antisemitism and protect Jewish students. However, scrutiny has also been directed at its admissions and hiring practices.