The investigation comes only two days after a federal judge cast doubt on the Trump administration’s argument in Harvard’s lawsuit over federal funding.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio launched an investigation into Harvard University’s compliance with the government-run visa program for international students and professors on Wednesday—the latest flashpoint in the ongoing feud over campus control.
In a letter reviewed by The New York Times, Rubio demanded records related to the school’s participation in the Exchange Visitor Program, a program designed to promote educational and cultural exchange by bringing scholars and students to the United States for teaching and researching opportunities. „In a statement, Mr. Rubio said the investigation was aimed at verifying that the visa program does not ‚compromise the national security interests of the United States'“, reported the Times.
The investigation comes only two days after Harvard argued in court that the Trump administration’s retaliatory freezing of $2.6 billion in research funding violated constitutional free speech protections. The university filed suit in April shortly after it defied the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) sweeping demands to change governance, discipline, hiring, and admissions policies to maintain federal funding.
