The Trump administration sent a letter to Harvard University demanding major changes, including the elimination of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs, increased oversight of faculty political views, and disciplinary action for certain student groups. The administration threatened to freeze federal funding if Harvard failed to comply.

Over 115 Harvard Jewish students signed an open letter saying that, while worried about campus antisemitism, “we strongly oppose the Trump administration’s recent move to threaten over $8 billion in Harvard’s contracts and grants.” The letter, spearheaded by a broad group of Jewish Harvard undergraduates and released on April 11th, asserts that the federal government’s actions exploit legitimate concerns about Jewish safety as a political weapon to attack universities.

Hundreds of faculty, students, and local officials gathered on Cambridge Common for a pro-democracy rally organized by the Cambridge City Council, Harvard’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors, and the 50501 movement. Speakers condemned the Trump administration’s recent threats to Harvard and broader attacks on academic freedom, characterizing them as signs of rising authoritarianism in the U.S. During the rally, the AAUP announced it had filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration.

Harvard President Alan Garber issued a formal statement rejecting the administration's demands, calling them unconstitutional and a violation of academic freedom. He stated that Harvard would not compromise its values under political pressure from the administration.

Hours after Garber’s announcement that Harvard would not comply with the administration’s demands, the federal government declared that it would move to freeze more than $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts to the university. 

President Trump posted on Truth Social, saying that “Harvard should lose its Tax Exempt Status and be Taxed as a Political Entity.” Nearly all colleges and universities are tax-exempt organizations. They are given nonprofit status along with charities, religious institutions and some political organizations.

The Department of Homeland Security sent Harvard a letter threatening to revoke its eligibility to enroll international students unless it submits information on international students’ disciplinary records and protest participation by April 30th.

Harvard faculty hosted a protest in Harvard Yard. Speakers, including three Students for Freedom members, praised Harvard’s decision to stand up to the Trump administration and pushed them to stay strong and to not give up students’ private information to the federal government.

Harvard filed a federal lawsuit challenging the legality of the administration’s actions, particularly the freezing of over $2 billion in research funding. The university argued that the measures were retaliatory and unconstitutional.

Students for Freedom organized a protest against a DHS ultimatum demanding records on international students. Speakers, including Jewish students, international students, domestic students, and professor Cornell Brooks (the former president of the NAACP) condemned the demands as unconstitutional and urged Harvard not to comply. Protesters carried American flags and signs defending academic freedom and criticized the administration’s broader crackdown on dissent.