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New York.- The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ordered this Wednesday to Harvard University to hand over documents about its foreign students through an administrative requirement, alleging that it has refused to do so voluntarily.
In a new escalation in the dispute between the Donald Trump administration and universities, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), part of the DHS, demanded that Harvard hand over "relevant" documents for the "enforcement of immigration laws since January 1, 2020", according to a statement.
"Harvard, like other universities, has allowed foreign students to abuse their visa privileges and defend violence and terrorism on campuses," said DHS Deputy Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, who maintained that the university has "refused to cooperate" on previous requests.
Harvard is one of the universities whose funding has been threatened by the reports of the 'Federal Task Force to Combat Antisemitism', created by Trump, in which it is accused of applying 'affirmative action' policies and not accommodating what the Government calls "diversity of ideas".
The university newspaper Harvard Crimson reported this Wednesday that the university delivered documentation related to foreign students in April and May, but the Government considered it insufficient and therefore ordered to ban its exchange programs and veto foreign students and academics.
The university denounced in June before a court that veto by the Trump government, and that same month a federal judge indefinitely blocked its execution while the litigation continues.
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A Harvard spokesperson expressed today its commitment to the law, but called the DHS requirements "unjustified" and "retaliatory" for claiming its autonomy against the "overreach" of the Government regarding "who private universities can admit and hire, and what they can teach". Harvard also sued the Trump administration in April to recover its federal funding, around $2 billion, which is frozen for allegedly engaging in antisemitic conduct. The DHS, in its statement today, assured that the administrative requirement was its "only option" to force Harvard to hand over the documents it wants, and urged other academic institutions to which it has asked the same to "take note of Harvard's actions and repercussions".
