Homeland Security (DHS) secretary Christie Noem canceled $2.7 million on Wednesday in a DHS grant to Harvard University.
In a statement, NOEM announced the cancellation of two grants to the university, declaring elite Massachusetts Ivy League institutions “not fit to entrust taxpayer dollars.”
The university was ordered to either submit records by April 30 or risk losing accreditation to register international students under the Student and Exchange Visitors Program (SEVP).
“As anti-American, Prohama ideologies addicted to campus and classrooms, Harvard’s status as a top facility in higher education is a distant memory,” Noem said in a statement. “The US is demanding more taxpayer dollars from universities entrusted with it.”
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The cancelled grant includes the $800,303 “Implementation Science for Targeted Violence Prevention” award. The DHS says conservatives have categorized them as far-right extremists.
The move follows President Donald Trump’s decision to freeze $2.2 billion in federal funds at Harvard and ask the IRS to cancel their tax-free status.
People walk through the gates when they leave Harvard Yard on Harvard University’s campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts (Joseph Pregioso/AFP via Getty Images)
The IRS is currently considering designating a university as a 501(c)(3) non-commercial, according to sources within the Department of Justice (DOJ). No final decision has been made yet.
In a social media post, Trump criticized Harvard’s leadership and faculty, saying, “Harvard can teach students almost all awakening, idiots, idiots, “birdbrains” and “teach what is called “future leaders.”
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The DHS’ actions lie in a broader federal crackdown on campus anti-Semitism following Hamas’ attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Since then, Harvard has faced criticism of anti-Semitic rhetoric and protests involving students and faculty. Noem’s letter refers to “foreign visa-holding assaulters” and calls for Harvard to provide documentation of their actions.
DHS secretary Christy Noem will listen when President Donald Trump speaks at the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on April 9th (Washington Post via Javin Botsford/Getty Images)
Harvard has a donation of $53.2 billion and is one of the richest institutions in the world. The DHS emphasized that universities can afford to fund their own programs and should not rely on taxpayer money if they do not meet federal standards for student behavior and institutional accountability.
Harvard has not yet publicly responded to DHS demand for Grant’s termination or record.
The Ministry of Education is also vetting the university. Education Secretary Linda McMahon recently launched a review of more than $255.6 million federal contracts and roughly $9 billion in grants involving Harvard and its affiliates.
Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security. (Ken Cedeno/Upi/Bloomberg Getty Images)
“Harvard University puts its reputation at serious risk while not protecting students on campus from anti-Semitistic discrimination — all promoting a more divisive ideology than free investigation,” McMahon said.
The move comes shortly after a similar lawsuit was filed against Columbia University to strengthen enforcement on agencies that the federal government says it will not fulfill its civil rights and national security obligations.
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Noem’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Andrea Margolis and Alexis McAdams of Fox News contributed to this report.
Jasmine is a writer for Fox News Digital and is a New Orleans-based military spouse. Stories can be sent to jasmine.baehr@fox.com
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