The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Wednesday referred Harvard to the Department of Justice (DOJ), alleging the school will not tackle antisemitism “voluntarily.”
HHS’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) warned Harvard on June 30 that it violated the Civil Rights Act “based on its deliberate indifference towards antisemitic student-on-student harassment.” HHS has now concluded that Harvard’s compliance “cannot be obtained voluntarily” due to its continued litigation against the Trump administration, and a referral to the DOJ is necessary, according to the memo obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“Indeed, rather than voluntarily comply with its obligations under Title VI, Harvard has chosen scorched-earth litigation against the Federal government,” the memo reads. “The parties’ several months’ engagement has been fruitless.”
Harvard did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
The two parties are currently wrapped up in several legal battles, one of which is currently being argued in court after Harvard sued the administration over its billions in funding cuts. The university has already been successful in some of its fights, including earning injunctions against two of the administration’s attempts to bar foreign students from Harvard.
The dispute between Harvard and the Trump administration kicked off in March when the administration announced it was reviewing more than $8 billion in federal grants to the university over its alleged noncompliance with civil rights law and failure to protect Jewish students from discrimination. Shortly after, the Department of Education (ED) issued a proposed resolution to Harvard, asking it to agree to a host of reforms to its disciplinary process for students and foreign student screening.
Harvard originally vowed not to “surrender” to the administration but later attempted to negotiate, though it maintained it would not relinquish any control to the federal government. The university has since taken steps to comply, recently announcing it would turn over documents to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for nearly all of its employees proving their citizenship and work eligibility.
However, the school’s hesitation has cost it more than $2 billion in federal funding, and the Trump administration has also targeted Harvard’s accreditation and ability to host foreign students.
Recent reports have suggested Harvard may soon surrender in its battle with the administration, with sources familiar with the negotiations allegedly claiming the Ivy League school may pay as much as $500 million to settle the dispute.
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