Trump administration subpoenas Harvard for international student information

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Wednesday it will be subpoenaing Harvard University for “relevant information” on international students, in the latest escalation of the Trump administration’s battle with higher education institutions.

The department said in a press release Wednesday that the administrative subpoenas come after Harvard “repeatedly refused past non-coercive requests to hand over the required information for its Student Visitor and Exchange Program certification.”

“We tried to do things the easy way with Harvard. Now, through their refusal to cooperate, we have to do things the hard way,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.

“Harvard, like other universities, has allowed foreign students to abuse their visa privileges and advocate for violence and terrorism on campus,” she continued. “If Harvard won’t defend the interests of its students, then we will.”

Harvard officials “have forcefully denied” accusations that it has refused to turn over records of its international students and recent graduates, according to The Harvard Gazette.

But the Trump administration has cited the university’s alleged refusal to hand over “information about the criminality and misconduct of foreign students on its campus,” in steps it has taken to penalize the country’s most storied institution.

The Trump administration announced earlier this year that it would end the foreign student visa program for Harvard University—a move that has been caught up in legal battles since that decision. The administration has also moved to freeze more than $3 billion in grants and contracts issued to Harvard.

The school said in a statement Wednesday that it plans to comply with all “lawful requests,” even as it dismissed the subpoenas as “unwarranted.”

“Harvard is committed to following the law, and while the government’s subpoenas are unwarranted, the University will continue to cooperate with lawful requests and obligations,” a spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill.

“The administration’s ongoing retaliatory actions come as Harvard continues to defend itself and its students, faculty, and staff against harmful government overreach aimed at dictating whom private universities can admit and hire, and what they can teach. Harvard remains unwavering in its efforts to protect its community and its core principles against unfounded retribution by the federal government,” the statement continued.

In the press release, DHS warned other institutions should take note of its latest escalation against Harvard.

“Other universities and academic institutions that are asked to submit similar information should take note of Harvard’s actions, and the repercussions, when considering whether or not to comply with similar requests,” the press release read.

—Updated at 10:19 a.m. EDT