The Department of Homeland Security announced on Wednesday that it is subpoenaing Harvard University for international student records as the Ivy League institution battles the Trump administration’s ban on foreign students in court.
The agency said it is sending Harvard administrative subpoenas to hand over data regarding its Student Visitor and Exchange Program dating back to 2020 after the school denied previous “non-coercive” requests to do so. DHS is seeking information about foreign students related to “the enforcement of immigration laws” amid the Trump administration’s search for students suspected of harassing Jewish classmates and sharing ties with the Chinese Communist Party.
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“We tried to do things the easy way with Harvard. Now, through their refusal to cooperate, we have to do things the hard way,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “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 school said in a statement Wednesday that it plans to comply with all “lawful requests,” even as it dismissed the subpoenas as “unwarranted.”
“Harvard is committed to following the law, and while the government’s subpoenas are unwarranted, the University will continue to cooperate with lawful requests and obligations,” a spokesperson told the Hill.
“The administration’s ongoing retaliatory actions come as Harvard continues to defend itself and its students, faculty, and staff against harmful government overreach aimed at dictating whom private universities can admit and hire, and what they can teach. Harvard remains unwavering in its efforts to protect its community and its core principles against unfounded retribution by the federal government,” the statement continued.
The dispute over the records comes after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem voiced concern that many of the Harvard students accused of creating a “hostile learning environment” for their Jewish classmates were foreigners, including pro-Palestinian protesters who participated in anti-Israel demonstrations on campus. In April, she called on the university to provide information regarding visa holders’ “known threats to other students or university personnel,” “obstruction of the school’s learning environment,” and any disciplinary actions “taken as a result of making threats to other students or populations or participating in protests.”
Noem said she would revoke the school’s ability to enroll new international students if Harvard failed to comply with her request. She followed through with her threat in May as the Trump administration expressed anger that the university had refused to comply with several admissions reform demands, including steps to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, and abide by a merit-based admissions system.
Harvard swiftly responded with a lawsuit challenging the overhaul of its Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, leading a judge to rule in the school’s favor, only to have Trump jump into the matter with an executive order seeking to stop new foreign students from being enrolled using the power of the Oval Office.
Harvard challenged that ban as well, with a Boston judge granting the school a temporary restraining order last month blocking Trump from banning international students at Harvard.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO DIVERT REMAINING FEDERAL CONTRACTS AWAY FROM HARVARD
Aside from the battle over foreign students, the Trump administration on Wednesday challenged Harvard’s accredited status due to accusations that the school violated federal civil rights laws in its handling of antisemitism on campus.
“By allowing antisemitic harassment and discrimination to persist unchecked on its campus, Harvard University has failed in its obligation to students, educators, and American taxpayers,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement regarding the Trump administration’s notice to the New England Commission of Higher Education.