The U.S. Justice Department has filed a new lawsuit against Harvard University, contending that its leadership has failed to address antisemitism on campus.
The suit argues that Harvard's purported failures have created grounds for the government to freeze existing grants and seek repayment for grants already paid.
The Associated Press reports that the lawsuit is another salvo in a protracted battle between President Donald Trump and the Cambridge, Massachusetts, university.
The lawsuit asks the court to compel Harvard to comply with federal civil rights law and to help the federal government "recover billions of dollars of taxpayer subsidies awarded to a discriminatory institution.”
The lawsuit also asks a judge to require that Harvard call police to arrest protesters blocking parts of campus and to appoint an “independent outside monitor” approved by the government to ensure it complies with court orders.
Harvard did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
What began as an investigation into campus antisemitism has escalated into an all-out feud as the Trump administration slashed more than $2.6 billion in research funding, ended federal contracts and tried to block Harvard from hosting international students.
In lawsuits filed last year by the university to challenge the government's actions, Harvard has asserted that it’s being unfairly penalized for refusing to adopt the administration’s views. A federal judge agreed in December, reversing the funding cuts and calling the antisemitism argument a “smokescreen.”
The Trump administration began investigating allegations of discrimination against Harvard’s Jewish and Israeli students less than two weeks after the president took office. The allegations focus on Harvard’s actions during and after pro-Palestinian demonstrations during the Israel-Hamas war.
Officials concluded Harvard did not adequately address concerns raised about antisemitism.
In its new lawsuit, the Justice Department also accused Harvard of failing to discipline staff or students who protested or tacitly endorsed the pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
At the same time, the administration has been pursuing a civil rights investigation that may jeopardize all of Harvard's federal funding.
Last summer, Harvard said that it strongly disagreed with the government's finding and was committed to fighting bias.
“Antisemitism is a serious problem and no matter the context, it is unacceptable,” the university said in a statement. “Harvard has taken substantive, proactive steps to address the root causes of antisemitism in its community.”
Since Trump took office, he has targeted universities that he alleges are overrun by left-wing ideology and antisemitism. His administration has frozen billions of dollars in research grants.
