WASHINGTON (CHATNEWSTV) — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Wednesday canceled two federal grants totaling more than $2.7 million to Harvard University, citing concerns over campus extremism, antisemitism, and a failure to uphold national security standards.
In a sharply worded letter to Harvard’s leadership, Noem demanded the university submit detailed records of all foreign students’ visa compliance and any involvement in illegal or violent activity by April 30 — or risk immediate termination from the federal Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP).
“Harvard bending the knee to antisemitism — driven by its spineless leadership — fuels a cesspool of extremist riots and threatens our national security,” Noem said in a statement. “With anti-American, pro-Hamas ideology poisoning its campus and classrooms, Harvard’s standing as a top academic institution is a distant memory.”
The two rescinded grants include an $800,303 award for a “Targeted Violence Prevention” study that DHS officials say unfairly labeled conservative voices as far-right extremists, and a $1.93 million Blue Campaign evaluation, which critics called thinly veiled public health propaganda.
“These programs do not align with the values of the Department or the American people,” said a senior DHS official, speaking on background.
The move comes days after former President Donald J. Trump announced a proposal to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status and freeze $2.2 billion in federal funding over what he described as a “radical ideological takeover” of elite campuses.
Following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, tensions escalated at Harvard as foreign visa-holding students and faculty participated in what Noem described as “violent, antisemitic demonstrations” targeting Jewish students.
Despite its $53.2 billion endowment, Noem said Harvard “can fund its own chaos” and warned that without proof of compliance with SEVP regulations, the school will lose its ability to enroll foreign students.
“America demands more from institutions entrusted with taxpayer dollars,” Noem said.
