The US government is targeting Brown and Harvard Universities over alleged antisemitism on their campuses, withholding millions in grants and imposing strict conditions on future funding.
The move, condemned by human rights advocates and academics as an attack on free speech and academic freedom, is the latest in a series of actions by the Trump administration against academic institutions.
A US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, revealed that $510 million in grants to Brown University will be frozen. Brown University stated they have not received formal notification.
This action follows similar measures against other universities, including Columbia, under President Donald Trump.
Harvard University, meanwhile, faces a different set of conditions to maintain its federal funding. A letter seen by Reuters, and confirmed by Harvard as received, outlines demands including a ban on masks and the removal of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
While the government frames these actions as combating antisemitism, critics argue they represent an overreach into university autonomy and threaten fundamental academic principles. Universities say they maintain their commitment to fighting discrimination on campus.
In March, the US Education Department warned 60 universities, including Brown and Harvard, that it could bring enforcement actions against them over antisemitism allegations.
Princeton University said on Tuesday the US government froze several dozen research grants to the school. The Trump administration was reviewing $9 billion in federal contracts and grants awarded to Harvard.
In March, it canceled $400 million in federal funding for Columbia University, which had been the epicenter of pro-Palestinian campus protests. Columbia agreed to significant changes so that it can negotiate to regain the funding.
Trump has threatened to slash federal funding for universities over pro-Palestinian campus protests against US ally Israel’s devastating military assault on Gaza, which has caused a humanitarian crisis in the enclave and followed a deadly October 2023 attack by Islamist group Hamas.
Trump has called the protesters antisemitic, and has labeled them as sympathetic to Hamas militants and as foreign policy threats.
Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say the Trump administration wrongly conflates their criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza and advocacy for Palestinian rights with antisemitism and support for Hamas.
Conditions on Harvard
In a letter on Thursday to Harvard President Dean Garber, officials at the US Education Department, Health Department and the General Services Administration said the school must ban the use of masks, eliminate DEI programs and agree to cooperate with government and law enforcement agencies.
Many pro-Palestinian protesters have worn masks during demonstrations. Protesters say it helps them hide their identity to avoid doxxing and harassment. Some government officials say masks serve as a means of avoiding accountability.
The letter also said Harvard must review and make changes to programs and departments that “fuel antisemitic harassment” and hold students accountable for policy violations.
Harvard, separately, said on Wednesday it placed the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee on probation and banned it from hosting public events until July over what it called protest policy violations.
Media outlets reported last week that two of the leaders of Harvard University‘s Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Director Cemal Kafadar and Associate Director Rosie Bsheer, will be leaving their positions.
In an email to campus leaders on Thursday shared by a Brown University spokesperson, its provost, Frank Doyle, said the university was aware of “troubling rumors emerging about federal action on Brown research grants” but added it had “no information to substantiate any of these rumors.”
“We are closely monitoring notifications related to grants, but have nothing more we can share as of now,” he added.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have detained some foreign student protesters in recent weeks from different campuses and are working to deport them.
Rights advocates have also raised concerns about Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias during the Israel-Gaza war. The Trump administration has not announced steps in response.
The administration has also targeted schools over other culture war issues and suspended $175 million in funding to the University of Pennsylvania over transgender sports policies.
