President Donald Trump's Department of Homeland Security has subpoenaed Harvard University's administration for information about immigration status and alleged criminal conduct for foreigners granted student visas, Fox News reported. The legal request was sent on Wednesday, after other inquiries had gone unanswered.
The students in question are part of the Student and Exchange Visitor Program at the Ivy League institution. In a statement to Fox News Digital, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin explained the school's "refusal to cooperate" necessitated the move.
"We tried to do things the easy way with Harvard. Now, through their refusal to cooperate, we have to do things the hard way," McLauglin noted.
"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," McLaughlin added.
Harvard's SEVP allows foreign students to obtain visas to study at the Cambridge, Massachusetts institution. However, some students in the program have allegedly engaged in troubling behavior on campus.
As the conflict between Israel and Palestine has escalated, anti-Semitic protests cropped up and included the participation of some of these students. This got so heated that Harvard President Alan Garber eventually had to apologize for the way Jewish students were treated.
The DHS has attempted to investigate the involvement of some foreign students in these protests by sending strongly worded letters to the Harvard administration. In April, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem requested information about SEVP students and their possible involvement.
Noem warned that failure to comply could lead to the administration revoking the program altogether. Harvard made a half-hearted attempt, sending some data that Noem said was an "insufficient, incomplete, and unacceptable response."
As a result, the DHS was compelled to revoke the SEVP designation from Harvard in May. This move affected nearly 25% of the university's student population and barred the school from enrolling any additional foreign students or issuing visas.
Following the cancellation of the program, Harvard sued the Trump administration. "It is the latest act by the government in clear retaliation for Harvard exercising its First Amendment rights to reject the government’s demands to control Harvard’s governance, curriculum, and the 'ideology' of its faculty and students," the university said in its complaint.
An Obama-appointed judge sided with Harvard and issued a temporary restraining order, allowing the university to continue the program. This latest subpoena was a legal escalation that will force Harvard to provide documents, communications, and records related to SEVP program participants dating back to January 1, 2020.
Because this request has been formalized in the courts, the university must comply or face consequences. Those include anything from contempt of court to criminal charges, civil penalties, or being subject to inspections or audits of the institution.
Meanwhile, Harvard spokesperson Jason Newton claimed the subpoena was "unfounded retribution" but that the school would comply if obligated by law, the Harvard Crimson reported. Harvard, which costs upwards of $87,000 per year to attend, is surely seething.
Trump is attempting to flush out these foreign nationals who are actively protesting against America. His administration will battle it out in court, but the issue is one that could significantly shape the future of universities.
