Tue Apr 01 12:32:08 UTC 2025: ## Trump Administration Targets Harvard and Columbia Universities Over Pro-Palestine Protests, Threatening Billions in Funding
**Cambridge, MA & New York, NY** – The Trump administration is intensifying its crackdown on pro-Palestine activism on US college campuses, launching a review of billions of dollars in federal funding for Harvard University and imposing harsh measures on Columbia University.
The Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, and the General Services Administration announced a review of over $9 billion in federal contracts and grants at Harvard, citing concerns about the university’s response to pro-Palestinian protests. The review is being conducted by the Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, established following President Trump’s executive order aimed at combating anti-Semitism in the wake of the October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel.
Harvard President Alan Garber warned that halting this funding would “halt life-saving research and imperil important scientific research and innovation.” While the administration claims Harvard is cooperating, the move follows a student encampment protesting Israeli policies, which the university ultimately negotiated to end.
Meanwhile, the situation at Columbia University is far more severe. Following pro-Palestine protests in 2024, the administration revoked $400 million in federal funding. The university, in an effort to regain the funds, agreed to stringent new measures including restrictions on protests, a ban on face masks during demonstrations (except for religious or medical reasons), and the hiring of additional security personnel.
The administration’s actions have already led to the arrest and potential deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia graduate, and the revocation of Ranjani Srinivasan’s student visa. The university is now operating under a form of “receivership,” subject to federal oversight and demands.
Critics argue that the administration’s actions are a form of retribution against universities perceived as insufficiently hostile to pro-Palestine activism, with concerns raised about free speech and due process. The administration maintains its focus is on combating anti-Semitism, but the targeting of students and universities involved in pro-Palestine protests has raised widespread concern about academic freedom and the chilling effect on dissent. The ongoing reviews at both institutions are expected to have significant repercussions for research and higher education in the United States.
First Piper 