More than 100 US universities issue joint letter condemning Trump’s ‘political interference’

WASHINGTON – More than 100 US universities and colleges, including Ivy League institutions Princeton and Brown, issued a joint letter on April 22 condemning US President Donald Trump’s “political interference” in the education system.

The move comes a day after

Harvard University sued the Trump administration

, which has threatened to cut funding and impose outside political supervision.

“We speak with one voice against the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education,” the letter read.

“We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight. However, we must oppose undue government intrusion,” it said, adding that “we must reject the coercive use of public research funding”.

Mr Trump has sought to

bring several prestigious universities to heel

over claims they tolerated campus anti-Semitism, threatening their budgets, tax-exempt status and the enrolment of foreign students.

The letter said the universities and colleges were committed to serving as centres where “faculty, students, and staff are free to exchange ideas and opinions across a full range of viewpoints without fear of retribution, censorship, or deportation”.

Mr Trump’s war against universities has seen him threaten to cut federal funding over policies meant to encourage diversity among students and staff.

The US Republican President has also pursued a wide-ranging immigration crackdown that has expanded to foreign students, revoking their visas, often for little or no reason.

The White House has publicly justified its campaign against universities as a reaction to uncontrolled “anti-Semitism” and the desire to reverse diversity programmes aimed at addressing historical oppression of minorities.

The administration claims protests against

Israel’s war in Gaza

that swept across US college campuses in 2024 were rife with anti-Semitism.

Harvard lawsuit

Many US universities, including Harvard, cracked down on the protests over the allegations at the time.

Several top institutions,

including Columbia University

, have also bowed to demands from the Trump administration, which claims that the educational elite is too left-wing.

In the case of Harvard, the White House is seeking unprecedented levels of government control over admissions and hiring practices at the country’s oldest and wealthiest university.

But Harvard rejected the US government’s demands, prompting the Trump administration last week to order the

freezing of US$2.2 billion (S$2.88 billion)

in federal funding to the institution.

In its lawsuit, Harvard calls for the freezing of funds and conditions imposed on federal grants to be declared unlawful, as well as for the Trump administration to pay the institution’s costs.

The US Department of Homeland Security has also

threatened Harvard’s ability to enrol international students

unless it turns over records on visa holders’ “illegal and violent activities”.

International students made up 27.2 per cent of Harvard’s enrolment for 2025’s academic year, according to its website. AFP