Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is doubling down on her feud with Harvard University over what she argued is its insufficient crackdown on the nonviolent pro-Palestinian demonstrations of its student body — and is now singling out a federal judge.
In an op-ed published Monday in The Washington Post, Noem pushed back against U.S. District Judge Allison D. Burroughs’ ruling last week that blocked her agency from revoking the university’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, which permits the school to admit foreign students.
“A biased judge immediately issued an injunction against this action, clearly taking no time to weigh the merits of the case,” Noem wrote. “If she had, then she would have seen that DHS is well within its authority. We fully expect to prevail.”
Noem’s feud with Harvard is part of a larger effort under President Donald Trump to crack down on universities over protests and diversity initiatives. A number of universities, including six Ivy League schools, have already complied with the Trump administration’s demands after significant federal funding was threatened to be withheld.
Pro-Palestine protests erupted across college campuses both in the United States and abroad last year in the wake of Israel’s ongoing siege on Gaza, largely stemming from a series of mass arrests in April at Columbia University in New York City, New York. Among the demands, most protesters were demanding their universities divest from Israel.
Yet despite 97% of all pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses remaining peaceful per an independent study from the nonprofit organization Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, and more than 3,000 student protesters having been arrested, Noem remains committed to revoking Harvard’s SEVP certification and has pledged to continue those efforts.
“Under its watch, the university encouraged and fostered antisemitic extremism,” she wrote. “It permitted hostile foreign influence to fester on campus. It shielded individuals, many here on student visas, involved in conduct that warranted federal investigation.”