US authorities remain defiant after sending letter: Harvard

Letter tells university to stop recognising pro-Palestinian groups and asks it to report to federal officials foreign students violating varsity’s policies

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Harvard said on Saturday the Trump administration was “doubling down” on far-reaching demands on the university despite a published report that government officials had sent a letter spelling out those demands without authorisation.

The letter from government lawyers, received by Harvard on April 2, came just before senior officials at US President Donald Trump’s administration could approve it or give the go-ahead for its release, the New York Times reported late on Friday, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter. The administration had already sent a list of demands on April 3 to Harvard for the elite school to continue receiving federal funding.

These included a mask ban, removal of diversity, equity and inclusion programmes, and more cooperation with law enforcement.