(MENAFN) Harvard University announced on Monday that it has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging the decision to freeze funding. The university called the move "unlawful and beyond the government's authority."

In a legal filing with the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Harvard argued that the lawsuit concerns "the government's efforts to use the withholding of federal funding as leverage to gain control of academic decision-making at Harvard."

"Over the course of the past week, the federal government has taken several actions following Harvard's refusal to comply with its illegal demands," Harvard President Alan M. Garber wrote in a letter to the university's community.

According to reports the lawsuit "signaled a major escalation" in the ongoing battle between the Trump administration and higher education, with the president pledging to "reclaim" elite universities.

While the administration has framed its actions as part of a fight against antisemitism, it has also targeted programs focused on racial diversity and gender issues.

On April 11, officials from the Trump administration sent a letter to Harvard, demanding "meaningful governance reform and restructuring," stating that "an investment is not an entitlement."

Harvard rejected these demands on April 14, refusing to make broad changes to its governance, hiring, and admissions practices. Later that day, the Trump administration imposed a freeze on $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and $60 million in multi-year contracts with the university.

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