The U.S. State Department has launched an official investigation into whether Harvard University remains eligible to serve as a sponsor in the federal exchange visitor program, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday. The probe is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to scrutinize elite academic institutions over concerns tied to national security and ideological influence.
“To maintain their privilege to sponsor exchange visitors, sponsors must comply with all regulations, including conducting their programs in a manner that does not undermine the foreign policy objectives or compromise the national security interests of the United States,” Rubio stated.
“The investigation will ensure that State Department programs do not run contrary to our nation’s interests,” he added.
Harvard, the country’s oldest and wealthiest university, has become a focal point in the administration’s ongoing campaign to enforce compliance among higher education institutions that receive federal funding. President Donald Trump has repeatedly accused top universities of fostering antisemitism and promoting what he describes as “radical left” ideologies.
One of the administration’s initial actions against Harvard included the revocation of hundreds of research grants, citing the university’s alleged failure to adequately respond to complaints of antisemitic harassment on campus. Since then, the White House has escalated its pressure campaign — threatening the school’s accreditation status, attempting to restrict international student enrollment, and signaling further cuts to federal funding based on alleged civil rights violations.
In a related development, the U.S. Department of Education also announced on Wednesday that it had opened national origin discrimination investigations into several other institutions: the University of Louisville, University of Nebraska Omaha, University of Miami, University of Michigan, and Western Michigan University.
According to the Department’s statement, the investigations aim to determine whether these universities are limiting scholarships exclusively to students under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program or to undocumented individuals — a practice the administration argues may violate federal anti-discrimination laws.
These coordinated actions are part of a wider effort by the Trump administration to advance its strict immigration and education oversight agenda by leveraging federal authority over funding and compliance.
