The Dispatch
Illegal Government Overreach
Harvard University faces federal funding cuts issued by the Trump administration in response to noncompliance – but students and faculty are fighting back.
By Julie Hoeflinger
“International students have expressed their concerns of losing not only their positions at Harvard but also potentially being deported, as Trump has ignored the orders of federal judges on a number of accounts, putting vulnerable populations at increased risk of unlawful deportation."
“Harvard will continue to comply with the law, promote and encourage respect for viewpoint diversity, and combat antisemitism in our community."
On April 11, the Trump administration sent a letter to Harvard demanding that the university comply with a list of demands or else they would withdraw federal funding, which amounts to nearly 2.2 billion dollars.
Some of these demands include requiring the university to submit audits on the curriculum, which must be approved by the government, in addition to submitting personal student data.
The university rejected these demands, with Harvard’s president Alan Garber sending out a statement saying, “The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights. No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.”
Funding was subsequently frozen and the administration has further stated that Harvard will not receive any future research grants or aid until it obeys the president’s orders.
Trump also threatened the status of international students and faculty at Harvard, who make up around 25 percent of the student body and are crucial to research carried out in every sector of the university.
In response to Harvard’s refusal to comply, the US Department of Homeland Security sent another letter on April 16 demanding that the university reveal the names of all international students who participated in protests along with their disciplinary records. Harvard was required to submit the details by April 30 or else the institution’s ability to host international students would be revoked.
International students have expressed their concerns of losing not only their positions at Harvard but also potentially being deported, as Trump has ignored the orders of federal judges on a number of accounts, putting vulnerable populations at increased risk of unlawful deportation.
These fears are not unsubstantiated. Just last month, renowned Harvard scientist Kseniia Petrova was arrested by ICE at Boston airport and is now being detained in Louisiana where she will be held for the next two months. An immigration judge has stated that ICE did not meet the legal requirements for initiating Petrova’s detainment, but the legal proceeding will take several months to reach a conclusion.
Around the same time, Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish international student at Tufts University with a valid student visa, was suddenly arrested by federal immigration officers while walking on campus. She was sent to a detainment camp in Louisiana despite a federal court order ruling that she cannot be removed from the state.
The Trump administration further terminated the visas of several Harvard international students without warning after making allegations of antisemitism on campus during protests against the war in Palestine. Some visas have since been restored but without explanation.
Students are taking matters into their own hands. Harvard’s student body co-President, Abdullah Shahid Sial, has begun working to secure summer housing for international students who have cancelled summer trips home in fear that they won’t be able to get back into the country.
Other students have organised informal training seminars on how to defend themselves in the event they encounter ICE. Some protective measures include walking in groups and using encrypted text messaging.
The White House has taken similar steps with over 60 other institutions, including Columbia University and Cornell University. Momodou Taal, a British Cornell student who was protesting the war in Palestine, was asked by ICE to surrender in March after having his student visa revoked for participating in protests. In an interview with CNN, Taal shared his ultimate decision to voluntarily leave the United States, citing his fear of unlawful detention and loss of faith in the US legal system to protect him.
Harvard has since filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, stating that the funding freeze and personal data demands are unconstitutional and attack free speech and institutional freedom. They also emphasise that the federal cuts will significantly impact lifesaving areas of research, including research on pediatric cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.
“Harvard will continue to comply with the law, promote and encourage respect for viewpoint diversity, and combat antisemitism in our community,” a Harvard spokesperson said in a statement. “Harvard will also continue to defend against illegal government overreach aimed at stifling research and innovation that make Americans safer and more secure.”
However, at the beginning of May, Harvard announced that it shared information on international students with the Department of Homeland Security to appease threats of revoking Harvard’s ability to host international students. Harvard also renamed its DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) office in concession tof Trump’s demands.
In response, students across campus have held rallies urging administrators to stand strong against the president’s threats.
The lawsuit is still moving forward, and US district judge, Allison Dale Burroughs, has been tasked with overseeing the case.
Regardless of the outcomes of Harvard’s battle with the White House, the steps taken by Trump administration against higher education will have ripple effects for decades to come, posing a serious threat to American universities’ ability to attract top talent from across the globe.