Trump administration sues Harvard over treatment of Jewish and Israeli students, seeks billions of dollars

U.S. President Donald ‌Trump’s administration sued Harvard University on ​Friday over the Ivy League ⁠school’s alleged failure to protect Jewish and Israeli students, and is seeking to recover ‌billions of dollars of taxpayer money.

In a complaint filed in ‌Boston federal court, the U.S. Department ‌of ⁠Justice said Harvard remains ⁠deliberately indifferent to hostility on its campus and has intentionally refused to enforce its campus rules ​when victims ‌are Jews or Israelis.

“This sent the clear message to Harvard’s Jewish and Israeli community that the indifference was not ‌an accident; they were being intentionally ​excluded and effectively denied equal access to educational opportunities,” the ⁠complaint said.

‘Pretextual, retaliatory action,’ Harvard says

Harvard will defend against the lawsuit, which a spokesperson called “yet another ‌pretextual ⁠and retaliatory action by the administration for refusing to turn over control of Harvard to the federal ⁠government.”

The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based school also defended its efforts to address antisemitism on campus, which have included expanding training, improving disciplinary processes, and adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism.

“Harvard cares deeply about members of our Jewish and Israeli community and remains committed to ensuring they are embraced, respected, and ​can thrive on our campus,” the spokesperson said. “Harvard’s ‌efforts demonstrate the very opposite of deliberate indifference.”

Friday’s (March 20, 2026) lawsuit came less than two ‌months after Mr. Trump said his administration was seeking $1 billion from Harvard to settle probes into school policies, after a published report said the U.S. President had dropped his demand for a $200 ‌million payment.

It also follows a February 13 ​lawsuit where the government accused Harvard of failing to comply with ⁠a federal investigation, and sought documents to ⁠determine whether the university illegally considered race in its admissions ‌process.