Trump administration says Harvard violates the civil rights of Jewish students

The Trump administration said Harvard University violated treatment of Israeli and Jewish students, violated civil rights laws, and could further endanger its federal funding.

In a letter to Harvard, the government accuses of intentional indifference to concerns about Jewish students threatened on campus.

The move is the latest in a series of legal and financial struggles between Harvard and the White House – its stake has been greatly escalated in the past few months.

Harvard said this has made “significant progress” to combat discrimination and “completely disagree with the government’s findings.”

The letter – viewed by the BBC – said that “the failure to make adequate changes immediately will result in the loss of all federal financial resources at Harvard.”

“Harvard May certainly continues to have no federal privileges, and perhaps such opportunities will stimulate a commitment to excellence that will help Harvard thrive again,” wrote a letter to Harvard President Alan Gerber.

According to the letter, federal investigators found that the “majority” of Jewish students reported discrimination or prejudice against them, with one-quarter of them being physically threatened.

The actions detailed in the letter included Jewish students spitting or beating, and images were widely circulated, depicting the stars of David and the anti-Semitic stickers being distributed, including one with an Israeli flag and a swastika flag, in place of the Star of David.

“In the face of civil rights violations, Harvard’s inaction is a clear example of the population hierarchy that occupies the university,” the letter added. “Harvard’s commitment to racial hierarchy – individuals categorize and judge their members based on their oppressed group identities rather than their personal merits, which makes anti-Semitism disgusting.”

The letter is called a “Notice of Violation” and, if corrective action is taken, usually before a lawsuit or a voluntary settlement.

Harvard said in a statement that combating anti-Semitism on campus is “substantive, proactive” and “significant progress has been made to combat paranoia, hatred and prejudice.”

“We are not alone in facing this challenge and recognize that this work is underway,” the statement added.

Speaking at the White House on Monday, News Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the negotiations between the government and Harvard University were “closed-door” without elaborating.

Leavitt added that the events of anti-Semitism on campus are “a fact that Harvard has no objection.”

In April, Harvard University released its findings from an internal investigation that found that the university was deeply polarized by the ongoing war in Gaza and students on both sides felt unsafe.

In a letter to Mr. Garber who accompanied the report, the University President apologized for “we failed to meet our high expectations for our community.”

The university has also taken many steps to address the issue, including promoting dialogue, expanding non-discrimination and anti-bullying policies, and strengthening anti-Semitism training.

The letter is the latest in a series of conflicts between Harvard and the Trump administration, exacerbating its claims to have failed to resolve anti-Semitism crackdowns as it protests the University’s war in Gaza.

Earlier, in May, the government directed U.S. federal agencies to review Harvard’s grants that could end or redistribute funds. The government estimates that there are about 30 contracts, worth a total of US$100 million (£74 million) that can be reviewed.

It has frozen $2.65 billion in federal grants and attempted to revoke Harvard’s admission capacity.

The Trump administration also issued a similar notice from Columbia University last month, accusing Columbia of violating civil rights laws and allegedly failing to protect Jewish students from harassment. Colombia is also negotiating its federal funding and autonomy.