Trump administration launches more probes into Harvard
The Trump administration said today that it launched two more probes into Harvard University, escalating its actions against the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Ivy League school and other top U.S. universities.
The U.S. Department of Education said its civil rights office opened the investigations over allegations Harvard continues to discriminate based on race, color and national origin in violation of federal law.
The probes will examine whether Harvard uses race-based preferences in admissions after the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling ending affirmative action, and allegations of antisemitism on campus. Harvard task forces reported last year that Jewish and Muslim students faced bigotry and abuse.
A Harvard spokesperson said the school is firmly committed to confronting antisemitism, has taken steps to prevent harassment and discrimination, does not discriminate based on race, and complies with the law, including the 2023 ruling. The university said it is reviewing what it called the government’s latest retaliatory actions for refusing to surrender its independence and constitutional rights.
A deal to resolve the probes remains elusive. Last week, the administration sued Harvard to recover billions of dollars over allegedly failing to protect Jewish students, and in February sued it for failing to comply with a federal investigation while seeking admissions documents on race.
The administration has reached settlements with some schools, including Columbia University in New York, which agreed to pay more than $200 million, a move academic experts warn could set a precedent for pay-to-play deals.
