The Trump administration is suing Harvard University, accusing the school of violating the civil rights of Jewish students, the latest escalation in a yearlong campaign against the Ivy League school.The lawsuit alleges that Harvard failed to protect its Jewish and Israeli students by ignoring hostility on campus and refusing to enforce anti-harassment rules. The lawsuit, filed Friday in federal district court in Massachusetts, seeks to force the school to comply with civil rights laws and recover millions in taxpayer funds Harvard received for allegedly violating the law, the Wall Street Journal reported.Harvard currently will receive more than $2.6 billion in grants from the Department of Health and Human Services and other federal agencies, according to the lawsuit.Attorney General Pam Bondi said that since Hamas’ attacks on Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023, “too many of our educational institutions have allowed anti-Semitism to flourish on their campuses, including Harvard University.”Harvard University did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The school has previously said it has invested significant efforts in addressing anti-Semitism on campus, including tightening rules and disciplinary measures for violators.The lawsuit is the latest in the Trump administration’s strategy to target Harvard and other elite universities. Last spring, the U.S. government froze $2.2 billion in federal research funding at Harvard University over accusations that the university tolerated anti-Semitism on campus. The government has since threatened its tax-exempt status, targeted its ability to recruit international students and investigated its acceptance of foreign donations.Last September, Harvard sued the government and won a key court case. A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration’s funding cuts were unconstitutional and ordered that the funding be restored. In December, the government appealed. Harvard said it remains confident in its legal status.Harvard remains heavily reliant on federal funding, and President Trump has many levers at his disposal to undermine the university.In February of this year, Trump posted on social media that he would seek $1 billion in damages from the school. Days later, the Defense Department severed academic ties with Harvard, and the Justice Department later sued Harvard, saying it failed to provide admissions documents it needed in its investigation into whether the school discriminated against white applicants.
