The Trump administration has referred Harvard University to the US Department of Justice (DOJ) over allegations of antisemitic discrimination, following months of stalled efforts to resolve claims that the university failed to protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment, Reuters reports.
In a letter dated Wednesday, the US Department of Health and Human Services informed Harvard’s leadership that the matter would now proceed to the DOJ, citing the university’s alleged non-compliance with federal civil rights law.
"The parties' several months' engagement has been fruitless," the letter states, according to Reuters. "OCR (Office for Civil Rights) therefore has no choice but to refer the matter to DOJ to initiate appropriate proceedings to address Harvard's antisemitic discrimination."
The Trump administration has taken several steps against Harvard University in the wake of its failure to handle growing antisemitism on campus, including a freeze of more than $2 billion in federal research funding.
In addition to the funding cuts, Trump has also advocated for revoking the university's tax-exempt status.
Last month, the Trump administration announced that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) intends to issue subpoenas for information concerning alleged misconduct by foreign students at Harvard.
Another step involved a proclamation that bars new foreign students from entering the United States to attend the university. A federal judge has temporarily blocked the administration from implementing the proclamation.
Earlier this week, The New York Times reported that Harvard has expressed readiness to pay up to $500 million as part of a settlement with the Trump administration in order to end the standoff.
On Wednesday, Trump indicated that his administration may accept the $500 million settlement from Harvard.
"Well it's a lot of money," Trump told reporters at the White House when asked whether half a billion dollars would suffice to resolve the issue.
"We're negotiating with Harvard now. They would like to settle, so we'll see what happens," he added.