Federal officials claim Jewish and Israeli students were “harassed, physical assaulted, stalked, and spat upon,” and that some felt unsafe enough to conceal outward signs of their identity or avoid areas of campus. The complaint alleges Harvard leaders were “deliberately indifferent” and failed to enforce campus rules during protests and other disruptions.

If the lawsuit succeeds, it could allow the federal government to claw back billions of dollars in federal funding awarded to Harvard, potentially jeopardizing research programs, jobs, and scientific work.

Harvard rejected the allegations, saying the university has taken extensive measures to address antisemitism.

“Harvard cares deeply about members of our Jewish and Israeli community and remains committed to ensuring they are embraced, respected, and can thrive on our campus,” a Harvard spokesperson said in a statement, pointing to expanded training, new campus programming, and stricter enforcement of anti-discrimination policies.

“Harvard’s efforts demonstrate the very opposite of deliberate indifference,” the spokesperson said.

The university signaled it would fight the lawsuit, calling it “yet another pretextual and retaliatory action by the administration for refusing to turn over control of Harvard to the federal government.”

Harvard Hillel, a Jewish campus group, expressed support for Jewish students while also highlighting changes made by the university.

“We hope that the Department of Justice will zealously protect the rights of Jewish students and of every community here at Harvard,” the group said in a statement Monday.

The group pointed to “major steps” taken under Harvard President Alan Garber to address the climate on campus, calling current leadership “principled and effective partners in confronting and uprooting” intolerance, while defending free inquiry.

The lawsuit lands amid a broader ongoing campaign by the Trump administration targeting elite universities over campus protests and federal funding, a pressure campaign that has included threats to cut research dollars and increase federal scrutiny.

Some researchers said they have grown accustomed to uncertainty after months of funding threats and reversals.

“Seems like the same old same old — the administration pretending to care about something so they can use it as a weapon against independent sources of power that they perceive as their enemies,” said Dr. Bruce Fischl, a professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School.

Others said they are continuing their work as they await clarity on the situation.

“At the moment, we carry on, and hope that this time the funding is not cut while awaiting resolution,” said Roger Shapiro, a professor of immunology and infectious diseases at Harvard’s Chan School.

Over the past year, Harvard has released reports from presidential task forces examining antisemitism as well as anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian bias. The reports documented incidents of harassment and recommended changes to university policies, training, and campus programming, many of which the university said it has begun implementing.

On the Cambridge campus, which was sparsely populated over the weekend during the final days of spring break, some students questioned the motivations behind the lawsuit.

Moses Glickman, 26, a Harvard Law student who is Jewish, said he believes the administration’s actions reflect broader political goals.

“The Trump administration has rolled back many billions in grants from a number of schools,” Glickman said, adding that such decisions could affect US scientific research and global influence.

He described the lawsuit’s focus on antisemitism as “obviously pretextual.”

“I think the idea that he has any form of respect for Jewish students is, frankly, laughable,” he said.

Still, Glickman acknowledged the potential consequences.

“The pockets of the United States government are deeper than Harvard’s admittedly quite deep pockets, and obviously they could cause a lot of problems if they wanted to,” he said.

Denish Jaswal, a graduate student worker and bargaining committee member with the Harvard Graduate Students Union, said the group is “committed to fighting antisemitism in all forms,” but criticized the lawsuit as part of what she described as a broader effort against higher education.

Jaswal said cuts to federal research funding have already led to job losses and disrupted research, calling it “despicable” to slash funding “in the name of fighting against antisemitism” while harming students and wrokers.

Harvard “must fight back in court and win against such clearly pretextual attacks,” Jaswal said.

Laura Crimaldi of the Globe staff contributed to this report.

Nathan Metcalf can be reached at nathan.metcalf@globe.com. Follow him on Instagram @natpat_123. Nick Stoico can be reached at nick.stoico@globe.com. Sarah Rahal can be reached at sarah.rahal@globe.com. Follow her on X @SarahRahal_ or Instagram @sarah.rahal.

Original source: us