Harvard Accused of Civil Rights Violations by Trump Administration

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The Trump administration has issued a notice accusing Harvard University of violating federal civil rights law by failing to protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment. The investigation concluded that the university has been ‘deliberately indifferent’ to the discrimination faced by these students on campus.

The findings, released on June 30, 2025, could threaten Harvard’s access to billions of dollars in federal funding. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services‘ Office for Civil Rights (OCR), incidents of anti-Semitic harassment were identified as having occurred at the university since October 7, 2023.

The OCR report states that Harvard has not adequately addressed repeated cases of discrimination, leading to a culture where such behavior is unchecked. In response, Harvard spokesperson reiterated the university’s commitment to ensuring the safety and respect of its Jewish community, stating, ‘Harvard is far from indifferent on this issue and strongly disagrees with the government’s findings.’

Earlier this year, Harvard implemented measures aimed at reducing antisemitism on campus, including updating disciplinary procedures and increasing training about the issue. However, federal officials argued that these measures were insufficient and criticized the university’s delayed actions.

The confrontation between Harvard and the federal government is part of a larger campaign by the Trump administration against academic institutions that it believes are not addressing anti-Semitic behaviors adequately. The administration has already frozen around $2.5 billion in federal grants to Harvard, as well as threatening other institutions such as Columbia University with similar penalties.

Lawyers representing the administration informed Harvard that failure to implement immediate changes could result in the university losing all federal financial resources. The outcome of this investigation reflects ongoing tensions between the government and educational institutions regarding civil rights and freedom of speech.