Harvard's treatment of Jewish students violates Civil Rights law, HHS says
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The Widener Library on the Harvard Campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on June 4. Photo: Cassandra Klos/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Department of Health and Human Services announced on Monday that Harvard violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by "acting with deliberate indifference towards harassment of Jewish and Israeli students" after the Oct. 7 attack.
The big picture: The announcement is yet another escalation in the Trump administration's pressure campaign against the Ivy League institution, which has refused to yield to Washington's demands.
- Harvard is facing off against the administration in court over the freezing of billions in federal funds and its attempts to block the school from hosting international students.
Driving the news: The findings, per a statement from HHS, document that a "hostile environment existed, and continues to exist, at Harvard."
- Administration officials, in a letter addressed to Harvard University President Alan Garber, said that "failure to institute adequate changes immediately will result in the loss of all federal financial resources."
- In a 57-page notice of violation, the HHS office pointed to three areas of "repeated ineffectual action and inaction," alleging Harvard failed to establish clear procedures to report and remediate antisemitic harassment, uniformly implement disciplinary measures and "allowed protesters to flout time, place and manner restrictions."
What they're saying: A university spokesperson condemned antisemitism as "unacceptable" in a statement provided to Axios and said the university has taken "substantive, proactive steps" to address the root causes of it.
- In response to the federal investigation, the spokesperson said, Harvard shared its Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias Report with the administration and outlined the steps it has taken to strengthen policies and discipline those who violate them.
- "Harvard has made significant strides to combat bigotry, hate and bias," the statement continued. "We are not alone in confronting this challenge and recognize that this work is ongoing."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt spoke of the HHS findings during a briefing Monday, calling it a "violent violation" of Title VI.
- "These are all facts that Harvard cannot dispute, and that's why the administration has found them in violation of Title VI and has threatened to withhold their federal funding," she said. "Because if you break federal law, you should not be receiving federal tax dollars."
Friction point: Despite President Trump recently suggesting a potential detente with Harvard was on the horizon, Monday's notice puts new fuel on the fire.
- HHS noted that Monday's findings do not address a separate Title VI investigation into the Harvard Law Review over alleged "race-based discrimination."
- Beyond the investigations, the Trump administration has battered the university from various fronts and has also threatened to revoke the university's tax-exempt status.
Editor's note: This story has been updated throughout with new information.
