The actions were taken in the name of antisemitism, as the Trump administration claimed Harvard failed to protect Jewish students, particularly in the wake of the war in Gaza. Harvard rejected the administration’s demands and set the stage for a historic showdown.

Harvard University is "in violent violation" of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, the federal government’s Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism said in a Monday letter threatening to cut all the school's federal funding if changes aren't made.

The Trump administration on Monday informed Harvard University that the government found it in “violent violation” of a federal civil rights law guaranteeing the protection of Jewish students on campus,