BOSTON — The Trump administration is suing Harvard University, claiming it has failed to protect Jewish students from “antisemitic mobs” on its campus during demonstrations over Israel’s war against Hamas.
In a lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Boston, the U.S. Department of Justice alleges that the Ivy League university “did nothing” after Jewish students reported being “harassed, physically assaulted, stalked, and spat upon” in the wake of Israel’s war and for years have “endured a hostile educational environment” at the college.
“Harvard fostered and continues to foster a campus climate where hostile antisemitism and anti-Israeli conduct thrives,” the complaint reads. “Harvard also intentionally refused to enforce its campus rules — rules it enforced against others — when the victims were Jews or Israelis.
“This sent the clear message to Harvard’s Jewish and Israeli community that the indifference was not an accident; they were being intentionally excluded and effectively denied equal access to educational opportunities,” the suit continues.
Harvard University and other elite U.S. colleges were rocked by protests in 2024 from demonstrators who called for an end to the Israeli military’s war against Hamas and a recognition of Palestinians’ territorial claims. Israel invaded the Gaza Strip and other areas after Hamas fighters launched a terror attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 Israelis and taking hundreds hostage.
“This Department of Justice will not tolerate the harassment, assault, or intimidation of Jewish and Israeli students, and neither should Harvard,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division said in a prepared statement. “This Justice Department has no tolerance for such brazen violations of federal law.”
In a response, Harvard said it “cares deeply about members of our Jewish and Israeli community” and is “committed to ensuring they are embraced, respected, and can thrive on our campus.
“Harvard has taken substantive, proactive steps to address the root causes of antisemitism and actively enforces anti-harassment and anti-discrimination rules and policies on campus,” the university said in a prepared statement.
“We also have enhanced training and education on antisemitism for students, faculty, and staff, and launched programs to promote civil dialogue and respectful disagreement inside and outside the classroom. Harvard’s efforts demonstrate the very opposite of deliberate indifference.”
The statement said Harvard will defend itself against the DOJ’s allegations, saying it “represents yet another pretextual and retaliatory action by the administration for refusing to turn over control of Harvard to the federal government.”
The lawsuit stems from a high-stakes dispute between the Trump administration and the elite university, which has pushed back against the president’s efforts to force school leaders to eliminate its diversity programming and curtail student demonstrations on campus.
The Trump administration has also sought to prevent Harvard from enrolling international students in an effort to punish the school for refusing its demands. Those efforts have so far been blocked by federal courts.
Trump is also pushing for Harvard to be stripped of its accreditation and tax-exempt status as he presses for reforms at other elite universities and colleges he claims are “indoctrinating” students with “radical left” ideas.
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it is investigating Harvard over claims that it is violating the federal 1964 Civil Rights Act for continuing to use “illegal raced based preferences in admissions” despite a U.S Supreme Court ruling outlawing the practice.
Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.