A Harvard spokesperson said the school will “not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” while complying with the law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Trump administration is continuing its battle against Harvard University \u2014 this time, canceling $2.7 million in grants and threatening to stop the enrollment of international students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem<\/a> on Wednesday announced the cancellation of two DHS grants to the school, declaring it “unfit to be entrusted with taxpayer dollars.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noem also said she sent a letter to Harvard demanding “detailed records” on foreign student visa holders\u2019 “illegal and violent activities” by April 30.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If Harvard does not meet that deadline, it\u2019ll immediately lose its Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, she warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The release alleged Harvard\u2019s foreign visa holders participated in riots and spewed antisemitic hate targeting Jewish students following the Hamas incursion against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “If Harvard cannot verify it is in full compliance with its reporting requirements, the university will lose the privilege of enrolling foreign students,” a DHS news release said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The two canceled grants were: an $800,303 grant for Implementation Science for Targeted Violence Prevention, which Noem said “branded conservatives as far-right dissidents in a shockingly skewed study,” and a $1.9 million Blue Campaign Program Evaluation and Violence Advisement grant that Noem alleged “funded Harvard\u2019s public health propaganda.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Harvard bending the knee to antisemitism \u2014 driven by its spineless leadership \u2014 fuels a cesspool of extremist riots and threatens our national security,” Noem said in a statement. “With anti-American, pro-Hamas ideology poisoning its campus and classrooms, Harvard\u2019s position as a top institution of higher learning is a distant memory. America demands more from universities entrusted with taxpayer dollars.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s the latest punch by the Trump administration against the nation’s most prestigious university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earlier this week, the Trump administration announced that it would freeze more than $2 billion in grants to Harvard after\u2002the institution refused to accept demands that included auditing the viewpoints of its student body<\/a>. Trump has also called for Harvard to lose its\u2002tax-exempt status.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n On Monday, Harvard University\u2019s lawyers\u2002sent a letter\u2002<\/a>rejecting a list of demands from the Trump administration. In a statement posted online<\/a>, Harvard President Alan Garber referred to the demands as \u201can attempt to control the Harvard community\u201d and vowed to fight back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A Harvard spokesperson told NBC News on Thursday that the school will \u201cnot surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,\u201d while complying with the law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n