The Trump administration is continuing its battle against Harvard University — this time, canceling $2.7 million in grants and threatening to stop the enrollment of international students.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Wednesday announced the cancellation of two DHS grants to the school, declaring it "unfit to be entrusted with taxpayer dollars."
Noem also said she sent a letter to Harvard demanding "detailed records" on foreign student visa holders’ "illegal and violent activities" by April 30.
If Harvard does not meet that deadline, it’ll immediately lose its Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, she warned.
The release alleged Harvard’s foreign visa holders participated in riots and spewed antisemitic hate targeting Jewish students following the Hamas incursion against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
"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.
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’s public health propaganda."
"Harvard bending the knee to antisemitism — driven by its spineless leadership — 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’s position as a top institution of higher learning is a distant memory. America demands more from universities entrusted with taxpayer dollars."
It's the latest punch by the Trump administration against the nation's most prestigious university.
Earlier this week, the Trump administration announced that it would freeze more than $2 billion in grants to Harvard after the institution refused to accept demands that included auditing the viewpoints of its student body. Trump has also called for Harvard to lose its tax-exempt status.
On Monday, Harvard University’s lawyers sent a letter rejecting a list of demands from the Trump administration. In a statement posted online, Harvard President Alan Garber referred to the demands as “an attempt to control the Harvard community” and vowed to fight back.
A Harvard spokesperson told NBC News on Thursday that the school will “not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” while complying with the law.