The Department of Homeland Security announced on Wednesday that it is sending administrative subpoenas to Harvard University, forcing the Ivy League school to share “relevant information” on foreign students.
The DHS accused Harvard of “repeatedly” refusing to cooperate with the Trump administration’s “non-coercive requests to hand over the required information for its Student Visitor and Exchange Program certification.” The administration wants Harvard to hand over documents and communications related to the enforcement of immigration laws on campus, dating back to January 1, 2020, citing “allegations of disciplinary disparity involving nonimmigrant students.”
“We tried to do things the easy way with Harvard. Now, through their refusal to cooperate, we have to do things the hard way,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Harvard, like other universities, has allowed 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.”
The Trump administration has been engaged in a months-long dispute with Harvard over international students on its campus, with President Donald Trump moving to halt the Ivy League school’s enrollment of students from foreign countries last month. During the 2024-2025 academic year, foreign students made up 27% of Harvard’s student body.
In May, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ordered the department to terminate Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification. Noem accused Harvard of “shirking” its requirements to comply with federal oversight in order to maintain certification.
“Other universities and academic institutions that are asked to submit similar information should take note of Harvard’s actions, and the repercussions, when considering whether or not to comply with similar requests,” the DHS added in a press release issued on Wednesday.
The Trump administration also claims that Harvard allowed antisemitism and “hostile foreign influence to fester on campus.” Last month, the president said that Harvard was refusing to comply with the federal government’s request to hand over data on “instances of misconduct and criminality committed by its foreign students,” calling Harvard’s refusal “an unacceptable risk.”
Along with the administration going after Harvard over its enrollment of foreign students, Trump has also stripped more than $2 billion in federal funding for the university over its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and alleged failure to confront antisemitism on campus.
Hostility between the Trump administration and Harvard appeared to cool down in recent weeks, however. In a Truth Social post on June 20, Trump teased a “‘mindbogglingly’ HISTORIC” deal with Harvard that would be announced “over the next week or so.” More than two weeks later, a deal has yet to be reached, but Trump said last Friday that he still believes the administration will “settle with Harvard.”
“They want to settle very badly,” he said, adding that the deal involves “a lot of money,” the Harvard Crimson reported.
