Trump administration formally subpoenas Harvard for information on foreign students

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of President Donald Trump's administration escalated its dispute with Harvard University by issuing administrative subpoenas on Wednesday, demanding information about alleged criminality and misconduct by foreign students on campus.

Along those lines, DHS criticized Harvard for its "refusal to cooperate," according to notes from Fox News, with previous applications related to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), which allows universities to issue visas to international students.

Doing it the hard way

DHS released a statement on its X account, "We tried to do things the easy way with Harvard. Now, through their refusal to cooperate, we have to do things the hard way. 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."

The administrative subpoena marks the latest escalation in a legal battle between the Trump administration and Harvard, sparked by tensions related to anti-Semitic protests on campus during the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts, which prompted Harvard President Alan Garber to issue a public apology.

DHS has been requesting records, communications, and documents related to immigration laws or crimes since Jan. 1, 2020, claiming that Harvard has repeatedly refused to provide this information in a non-coercive manner.

In April, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem demanded information from Harvard about alleged criminal misconduct by foreign students, warning that failure to comply would result in revocation of the university's SEVP certification.

Although Harvard sent some data later that month, Noem called the response an "insufficient, incomplete, and unacceptable response." As a result, on May 22, DHS revoked Harvard's SEVP certification, affecting approximately 25% of the student body and preventing the university from enrolling new international students or issuing visas.

The university's response to the Trump Administration's request

Harvard responded by filing a lawsuit, President and Members of Harvard College v. DHS, arguing that the SEVP revocation was unconstitutional and retaliation for exercising its free speech rights under the First Amendment.

The university claimed that the government's action sought to control the governance, curriculum, and ideology of its faculty and students. The day after the lawsuit, Federal District Judge Allison D. Burroughs, a Barack Obama nominee, issued a temporary restraining order allowing Harvard to continue issuing visa documents and enrolling international students while the case is ongoing.