Authorities have announced that the US government will reconsider $9 billion in funding to Harvard University over alleged anti-Semitism on campus after cutting millions from Columbia University, which has also witnessed violent pro-Palestinian student protests, AFP reported.

President Donald Trump has aggressively targeted prestigious universities that have witnessed violent protests sparked by Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza, stripping them of federal funds and ordering immigration officials to deport foreign student demonstrators, including those with green cards.

Officials will consider $255.6 million worth of contracts between Harvard and the government, as well as multiyear grant commitments to the prestigious Ivy League institution totaling $8.7 billion, the General Services Administration said in a statement.

Critics say the Trump administration's campaign is repressive and will have a chilling effect on free speech, while its supporters insist it is necessary to restore order on campuses and protect Jewish students.

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said that "Harvard's failure to protect students on campus from anti-Semitic discrimination - all while promoting divisive ideologies over free inquiry - has put its reputation in serious jeopardy. Harvard can right these wrongs and reestablish itself as a campus dedicated to academic excellence and the pursuit of truth, where all students feel safe on its campus."

Trump also targeted Columbia University in New York, initially reviewing $400 million in funding, detaining for deportation a graduate student linked to the protests, and attempting to arrest others.

Columbia University then announced a package of concessions to the government regarding the definition of anti-Semitism, policing of protests, and oversight of specific academic departments.

But they failed to meet some of the most pointed demands of the Trump administration, which nonetheless welcomed the Ivy League campus proposals.

"Today's task force action follows a similar ongoing review of Columbia University. That review resulted in Columbia University agreeing to meet nine preconditions for further negotiations regarding the return of the rescinded federal funds," the official statement said.

Harvard did not immediately respond to a request for comment. | BGNES