The Trump administration on Friday (April 18) escalated its crackdown on US universities by demanding a decade’s worth of records from Harvard University, focusing on foreign donations and affiliations. In a letter sent to Harvard President Alan Garber, the US Department of Education alleged that the university had made “incomplete and inaccurate” disclosures between 2014 and 2019.

“Today’s records request is the Trump administration’s first step to ensure Harvard is not being manipulated by, or doing the bidding of, foreign entities,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. However, the letter offered no direct evidence of foreign influence or wrongdoing.

Harvard responds to accusations

Harvard rejected the implication of wrongdoing and defended its compliance record.

“Harvard has filed such reports for decades as part of its ongoing compliance with the law,” the university said in a statement. “This includes contracts to provide executive education, other training, and academic publications.”

The Education Department’s request also asked for data on expelled foreign students over the past 10 years, their research work, and lists of visiting scholars and faculty with foreign government affiliations.

Crackdown on campus protests

The move is part of a broader Trump-led campaign against US colleges, particularly those facing pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Trump has accused universities of allowing antisemitism and radical foreign influence to fester on campuses.

In recent weeks, Trump has ordered reviews of up to $9 billion in federal contracts and grants to Harvard, threatened to strip the university’s tax-exempt status, and proposed bans on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and face masks on campus.

Funding freeze after Harvard’s defiance

After Harvard refused to comply with a range of administration demands, the White House announced it was freezing $2.3 billion in federal funding. The university had earlier dismissed several government requests as unconstitutional overreach.