Trump’s DHS Subpoenas Harvard Over Foreign Student Misconduct Allegations

Sarah Johnson
July 9, 2025
Brief
Trump administration subpoenas Harvard over foreign student misconduct, escalating tensions after visa program disputes and campus protests.
The Trump administration has escalated its clash with Harvard University, issuing administrative subpoenas to probe alleged misconduct by foreign students on campus. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claims Harvard has stonewalled requests for data tied to its Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), which grants visas for international students. "Harvard’s refusal to cooperate leaves us no choice but to take the hard road," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated, accusing the Ivy League giant of enabling visa abuses linked to campus protests.
Tensions flared after anti-Semitic demonstrations rocked Harvard amid Israeli-Palestinian conflicts, prompting an apology from President Alan Garber. DHS has been chasing records since 2020, citing concerns over immigration violations and campus unrest. "If Harvard won’t protect its students, we will," McLaughlin added. The subpoenas mark a new front in a broader battle, with DHS previously threatening to yank Harvard’s SEVP status, impacting a quarter of its student body.
Harvard fired back with a lawsuit, President and Fellows of Harvard College v. DHS, calling the Trump administration’s moves retaliatory and unconstitutional. A federal judge granted a temporary restraining order, allowing Harvard to continue issuing visas. Noncompliance with the subpoenas could trigger hefty penalties, audits, or criminal charges. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem had earlier labeled Harvard’s partial data submission "insufficient and unacceptable."
This standoff reflects deeper societal fault lines—free speech, immigration policy, and elite institutions under scrutiny. Harvard’s defiance may test the limits of academic autonomy against federal power.
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Editor's Comments
Harvard’s playing hide-and-seek with DHS, but subpoenas aren’t exactly an Ivy League syllabus. Why’s an elite campus acting like it’s allergic to transparency? Maybe they’re worried their foreign student drama could spark a sequel to the campus protest saga. Here’s a joke: Why did Harvard dodge DHS? They thought ‘SEVP’ stood for ‘Super Embarrassing Visa Problems!’
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