(Washington) The Trump administration asked the courts on Friday to force Harvard to provide it with admissions data for its students, the latest salvo in its offensive targeting the prestigious university.
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The oldest university in the United States has attracted the wrath of President Donald Trump by leading the resistance to his desire to control recruitment, the content of programs and even the orientations of universities in the field of research.
Donald Trump used the withdrawal of federal subsidies as a means of pressure on large universities, which he accuses of promoting a so-called “woke” ideology, very sensitive to all forms of discrimination.
The Trump administration is pursuing “DEI” (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) programs and policies, particularly in the field of education, aimed at correcting inequalities resulting from the segregationist past and increasing the proportion of minority students.
These programs have always been highly criticized by conservative circles, who accuse them of “reverse racism”.
In its appeal Friday, the Justice Department accuses Harvard of not providing it with the data it requires on its student admissions in order to be able to “verify whether Harvard continues to illegally discriminate against applicants on racial grounds.”
“Harvard has failed in its obligation to disclose the data we need to ensure that admissions is free of discrimination, we will continue to fight to put merit before DEI across America,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi in a statement.
The government “does not accuse Harvard of discriminatory behavior nor does it seek damages or the revocation of federal grants,” it specifies in its appeal.
The Trump administration is invoking the ruling of the Supreme Court, with a conservative majority, in June 2023 which put an end to affirmative action in university admissions, thus bringing down one of the great achievements of the struggle for civil rights of the 1960s.
The Court ruled that admission procedures taking into account the skin color or ethnic origin of candidates were unconstitutional.
