Washington: The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced it will subpoena Harvard University for “relevant information” concerning international students, marking a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s ongoing conflict with higher education institutions.

The decision was disclosed in a press release issued on Wednesday, where DHS claimed Harvard had “repeatedly refused past non-coercive requests to hand over the required information for its Student Visitor and Exchange Program certification.”

“We tried to do things the easy way with Harvard. Now, through their refusal to cooperate, we have to do things the hard way,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a strongly worded statement.

She added, “Harvard, like other universities, has allowed foreign students to abuse their visa privileges and advocate for violence and terrorism on campus. If Harvard won’t defend the interests of its students, then we will.”

Harvard denies accusations

Harvard officials have “forcefully denied” allegations that the university has refused to provide the administration with records of its international students and recent graduates.

Despite these denials, the Trump administration maintains that Harvard failed to share “information about the criminality and misconduct of foreign students on its campus,” which it has cited as justification for its actions against the university.

Visa programme termination and funding freeze

Earlier this year, the Trump administration announced its intention to end the foreign student visa programme for Harvard University. The decision has since been entangled in legal proceedings. In a further move, the administration has also sought to freeze more than $3 billion in grants and contracts issued to Harvard.

Warning to other institutions

DHS concluded its statement with a cautionary note to other academic institutions. “Other universities and academic institutions that are asked to submit similar information should take note of Harvard’s actions, and the repercussions, when considering whether or not to comply with similar requests,” the press release read.

(With agency inputs)