U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is seeking a federal sanctions investigation into Harvard University over alleged violations involving a blacklisted Chinese entity, escalating the Trump administration’s broader campaign against the nation’s oldest university.
What Happened: Rubio signed off on a recommendation to the Treasury Department last month to investigate whether Harvard violated federal sanctions by collaborating on a health insurance conference in China that may have included officials from the blacklisted Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, reported The New York Times.
Harvard has been conducting an internal review into the Chinese state-run group’s involvement at the conference. The university declined to comment on the investigation. The Treasury and State Department also declined to comment.
Why It Matters: The sanctions probe represents the latest escalation in the Trump administration’s multi-pronged attack on Harvard, which has already faced severe federal actions. In May, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revoked Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, terminating the university’s ability to accept international students who comprised nearly 6,800 of its 2024-2025 enrollment.
The administration has frozen $3 billion in federal grants to Harvard and proposed ending its tax-exempt status. Trump suspended foreign student entry to Harvard for six months citing national security concerns, claiming the university has “extensive entanglements with foreign adversaries.”
The broader crackdown has revoked over 1,500 student visas across 222 schools, creating institutional uncertainty. International students contribute nearly $44 billion to the U.S. economy and support 378,000 jobs, according to NAFSA.
Harvard has filed lawsuits challenging the administration’s actions, calling them illegal and retaliatory steps violating First Amendment rights.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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