Dynamics of Trump Administration's Actions Targeted at Harvard University
In a developments marked by escalating tensions, a judge has scheduled a hearing for Thursday to deliberate on the Trump administration's attempt to revoke Harvard University's authority to admit international students. This move is part of an alleged "escalating campaign of retaliation" according to university officials.
The chronology of events, as outlined by Harvard administrators, reveals a series of administrative actions targeting the Ivy League institution:
- April 11, 2025: The Trump administration wrote to Harvard's president, accusing the university of failing to adhere to intellectual and civil rights conditions, and demanding changes in governance, merit-based hiring, closure of DEI programs, and an openness to "audits" for viewpoint diversity.
- April 14: After Harvard refused to comply, the administration froze more than $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts to the university.
- April 15: President Trump voiced his opinion on Truth Social, suggesting that Harvard should lose its tax-exempt status.
- April 16: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem requested detailed information on every international student with an F1 visa. Failure to comply would result in the withdrawal of the school's Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification. Two grants worth $2.7 million were also canceled.
- April 21: Harvard filed a lawsuit against the administration over the funding freeze.
- April 30: Harvard claimed it had provided DHS with "thousands of data points concerning its entire F-1 visa student population."
- May 5: Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced that Harvard would no longer receive any federal grants.
- May 6: Harvard confirmed that it was receiving grant termination notices, including from the National Institutes of Health.
- May 7: DHS informed Harvard that its initial production of information on international students was insufficient, and requested more detailed information. Harvard subsequently provided additional data.
- May 9: The Department of Agriculture terminated its grants with Harvard.
- May 12: The Department of Energy, the Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development canceled their grants with Harvard.
- May 13: Harvard amended its lawsuit to cover additional funding cuts, with a hearing set for July.
- May 22: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced her intention to cancel Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, which would bar the school from enrolling foreign students.
- May 23: Harvard filed another lawsuit over the attempt to cancel its Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, and a federal judge granted a temporary order blocking the move.
- May 26: President Trump requested a list of international students enrolled at Harvard on social media.
- May 27: The Trump administration asked federal agencies to identify any contracts with Harvard, with the potential to cancel or redirect them elsewhere.
Notably, the developments come as a judge prepares to consider extending a temporary order blocking the Trump administration from revoking Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification.
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In this sequence of events, the Trump administration's actions against Harvard University extend beyond the revocation of its authority to admit international students. The administration also targeted the university with demands for changes in governance, merit-based hiring, and the closure of DEI programs, as well as opening the university to audits for viewpoint diversity. The administration has also frozen research grants and contracts, threatened to cancel tax-exempt status, and requested detailed information on international students. Harvard has responded with lawsuits and the provision of data to various departments. The developments are unfolding amidst general news, international news, education, science, and politics, raising concerns about intellectual and civil rights, educational self-development, and the mobility of students.
