Ed Department Warns Harvard of ‘Potential Enforcement Actions’ Over Antisemitism Complaints

The Department of Education announced Monday that it had sent a letter to Harvard warning the University of “potential enforcement actions” over allegations that it had failed to protect Jewish students on campus.

The letters were sent to 59 other schools, all 60 of which are now being investigated or monitored for discrimination against Jewish students, according to an Education Department press release.

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, who was confirmed by the United States Senate exactly one week ago, wrote in the press release that federal funding for universities was a “privilege” that was “contingent on scrupulous adherence to federal antidiscrimination laws.”

“The Department is deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite U.S. campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the relentless antisemitic eruptions that have severely disrupted campus life for more than a year,” she wrote. “University leaders must do better.”

A Harvard spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The move is the latest in a series of aggressive measures from the Trump administration against universities including Harvard, which experienced large-scale pro-Palestine protests last spring following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and Israel’s retaliatory war in Gaza.

Two weeks ago, a federal antisemitism task force announced that it would visit Harvard and nine other universities to probe allegations of campus antisemitism. The Department of Health and Human Services also launched an investigation into the Harvard Medical School over pro-Palestine messaging worn by students at graduation ceremonies last spring.

Harvard was not included in the list of five colleges that the Department of Education targeted for a Title VI investigation in early February. Now, the Department of Education has launched Title VI investigations into all Ivy League institutions except Dartmouth College and the University of Pennsylvania.

A Harvard spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

—Staff writer Dhruv T. Patel can be reached at dhruv.patel@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @dhruvtkpatel.

—Staff writer Grace E. Yoon can be reached at grace.yoon@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @graceunkyoon.