The Donald Trump Administration informed Harvard University on Monday that, after developing an investigation into the institution’s inclusion policies, they found that it had violated the civil rights of Jewish and Israeli students.
U.S. government lawyers concluded that Harvard knew these students felt threatened and allegedly acted with deliberate indifference, the US press reported.
The Executive led by Donald Trump has also warned the richest university in the United States to permanently withdraw all federal funding if it does not make changes in this regard, related to its protocols on anti-Semitism and inclusive policies known as DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion).
“Not implementing adequate changes immediately will result in the loss of all federal financial resources and will continue to affect Harvard’s relationship with the federal government,” Harvard President Alan Garber said in the letter received today.
The letter indicates that Harvard remained impassive after Israeli students were allegedly assaulted during the last two years, and that the campus was vandalized with graffiti showing a dollar sign inside a David Star or an Israeli flag with a swastika instead of the Star of David.
These formal notifications of violation of civil rights law are usually followed by a lawsuit from the Department of Justice or a voluntary resolution with the university.
Seen with perspective, this warning of the Trump Administration against Harvard is one more step in a tense relationship between the parties, after earlier this year the Executive demanded that the institution be able to supervise its admissions, hiring and the ideology of students and staff.
Harvard opposed the requirement and the Trump Administration announced that it would freeze more than $2 billion in federal funds for the prestigious university, so the institution has sued the US government for alleged violation of the First Amendment and due process.
Harvard published its own internal reports on anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim prejudices on campus in April, finding that Jewish but also Muslim students felt insecure in the months after October 7, and that it was working to solve the situation.
The Trump Administration issued another such notification in May to Columbia University, whose protests against the Gaza massacre reached an international dimension, for not protecting Jewish students from alleged harassment.
The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement to comply with current water obligations affecting U.S. farmers and ranchers and for Mexico to cover its water deficit to Texas under the 1944 Water Treaty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
The department уточified that the agreement applies to both the current cycle and the water deficit from the previous cycle.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Mexico of failing to comply with the water-sharing treaty between the two countries, which requires the United States to deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water from the Colorado River, while Mexico must supply 432 million cubic meters from the Rio Grande.
Mexico is behind on its commitments. According to Washington, the country has accumulated a deficit of more than one billion cubic meters of water over the past five years.
“This violation is severely harming our beautiful crops and our livestock in Texas,” Trump wrote on Monday.
The Department of Agriculture said on Friday that Mexico had agreed to supply 250 million cubic meters of water starting next week and to work toward closing the shortfall.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement, said Mexico delivered more water in a single year than it had over the previous four years combined.
Trump has said that if Mexico continues to fall short of its obligations, the United States reserves the right to impose 5% tariffs on imported Mexican products.
Mexico’s Deputy Foreign Minister for North America, Roberto Velasco, said that a severe drought in 2022 and 2023prevented the country from meeting its commitments.
Several people were shot on Saturday in an attack on the campus of Brown University, in the northeastern United States, local police reported.
“Shelter in place and avoid the area until further notice,” the Providence Police Department urged in a post on X. Brown University is located in Providence, the capital of the state of Rhode Island.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that he had been briefed on the situation and that the FBI was on the scene.
At 5:52 p.m. local time (11:52 p.m. GMT), Brown University said the situation was still “ongoing” and instructed students to remain sheltered until further notice.
After initially stating that the suspect had been taken into custody, Trump later posted a second message clarifying that local police had walked back that information. “The suspect has NOT been apprehended,” the U.S. president said.
The Colombian government stated on Thursday that it would have no reason to reject a potential asylum request from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro should he leave office, as regional tensions persist over the deployment of U.S. military forces in the Caribbean since August.
“In the current climate of tension, negotiations are necessary, and if the United States demands a transition or political change, that is something to be assessed. If such a transition results in him (Maduro) needing to live elsewhere or seek protection, Colombia would have no reason to deny it,” said Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio in an interview with Caracol Radio.
However, Villavicencio noted that it is unlikely Maduro would choose Colombia as a refuge. “I believe he would opt for someplace more distant and calmer,” she added.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro also commented on Venezuela’s situation on Wednesday, arguing that the country needs a “democratic revolution” rather than “inefficient repression.” His remarks followed the recent detention and passport cancellation of Cardinal Baltazar Porras at the Caracas airport.
“The Maduro government must understand that responding to external aggression requires more than military preparations; it requires a democratic revolution. A country is defended with more democracy, not more inefficient repression,” Petro wrote on X (formerly Twitter), in a rare public criticism of the Venezuelan leader.
Petro also called for a general amnesty for political opponents and reiterated his call for forming a broad transitional government to address Venezuela’s prolonged crisis.
Since September, U.S. military forces have destroyed more than 20 vessels allegedly carrying drugs in Caribbean and Pacific waters near Venezuela and Colombia, resulting in over 80 deaths.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that attacks “inside Venezuela” will begin “soon,” while Maduro has urged Venezuelans to prepare for what he describes as an impending external aggression.
Mexico City prepares for 13 million pilgrims at Basilica of Guadalupe
Washington declares State of Emergency as atmospheric river brings severe flooding
U.S. to require five-year social media history from tourists under Visa Waiver Program
Honduras’ electoral chief reports ongoing technical issues but says results remain intact
U.S. accuses Ortega regime of systematic human rights abuses in Nicaragua
U.S. finds no evidence of fraud in Honduras election despite delays
Cuba battles out-of-control dengue and chikungunya epidemic as death toll rises to 44
OAS and EU urge honduran political actors to respect vote results and avoid unrest
Honduras election crisis deepens as CNE president denounces intimidation attempts
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Six ecuadorian soldiers jailed pending trial for alleged extrajudicial execution
Ecuador on track for record violence as homicides hit highest level in Latin America again
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
Panama seizes over three tons of drugs hidden in Caribbean port container
