Harvard University has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, accusing it of using federal funding as leverage to exert political control over the institution’s academic decisions.

The lawsuit, filed in a Massachusetts federal court, comes after former President Donald Trump ordered a $2.2 billion freeze on federal funds to Harvard, citing the university’s refusal to submit to government oversight over its admissions, hiring, and campus political climate.

“This case involves the Government’s efforts to use the withholding of federal funding as leverage to gain control of academic decision making at Harvard,” the university stated, calling the administration’s actions “arbitrary and capricious” and a violation of the First Amendment and federal law.

Trump has intensified pressure on Ivy League institutions, accusing them of tolerating anti-Semitism amid widespread protests against Israel’s war in Gaza. He described Harvard as “a joke” and claimed it “teaches hate and stupidity.”

Harvard, which has disciplined students over protest-related actions, insists it rejects all forms of anti-Semitism and is committed to structural reforms. University President Alan Garber said the administration has launched “numerous investigations,” but reaffirmed that Harvard “will not negotiate over its independence or constitutional rights.”