U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has sought Harvard University’s records on foreign funding going back a decade and on some foreign ties, in what is widely perceived as part of the administration’s crackdown on free speech.
The administration announced that it has asked Harvard University to provide information on certain international affiliations, marking the latest escalation in the government’s scrutiny of the academic institution.
In a letter to Harvard President Alan Garber, the Department of Education accused the university of providing “incomplete and inaccurate” reports on such funding from 2014 to 2019. Education Secretary Linda McMahon stated: “Today’s records request is the Trump administration’s first step to ensure Harvard is not being manipulated by, or doing the bidding of, foreign entities.” However, the letter did not present any evidence to support these claims.
Trump has launched a widely condemned crackdown against top US universities, including Harvard, over pro-Palestinian campus protests. His administration has warned that it may cut federal funding to universities over what it calls concerns about foreign influence. Rights groups have criticized the move as an attack on free speech and academic freedom.
Under U.S. law, colleges must disclose foreign donations exceeding $250,000 annually. Harvard said it has filed such reports for decades “as part of its ongoing compliance with the law.”
U.S. officials have also threatened to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status and demanded details on certain visa-holding students, warning that the university’s ability to admit international students could be at risk.
Earlier, Garber refrained from complying with a new list of demands from the U.S. administration to maintain access to federal funding, saying that the university officials would not yield to the Trump administration’s litany of “unprecedented” demands and pressure campaign over the funding.
Academic institutions in the United States and Europe have witnessed widespread protests against Israel’s brutal military offensive in Gaza, which began on October 7, 2023, devastating the besieged Palestinian territory.
In response, the Trump administration has moved forward with its threat to expel non-citizen student activists involved in pro-Palestine demonstrations. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently confirmed that the U.S. has canceled at least 300 foreign students’ visas.
Trump administration officials have claimed these students oppose US “foreign policy and national security interests” due to their opposition to Israel’s prolonged, genocidal campaign against Palestinians in Gaza.
