DHS forces Harvard to comply with broad employment record demand

Harvard University has turned over I-9 employment records for nearly every employee to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) following a sweeping federal subpoena.

On July 29, the Ivy League school confirmed via email to staff that it had complied with DHS demands after initially misinterpreting the scope of a July 8 subpoena. The initial request sought documents related to Harvard’s international students, as well as a notice of inspection for employees working in Massachusetts Hall.

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However, DHS later clarified the inspection extended far beyond that building. 

The department required I-9 records for all current employees and anyone employed by Harvard in the past 12 months. 

These federally mandated forms verify an individual’s authorization to work in the U.S. and include copies of passports, green cards, and other identification.

According to The Harvard Crimson, Harvard’s Human Resources department stated in its internal email that it requested assurances from DHS that the records “will only be accessed by DHS personnel authorized to inspect such records, and that DHS will only use these records for the purposes authorized by law.”

The I-9 inspection is part of a broader federal review of the university’s employment and visa practices. The State Department has also recently launched a separate investigation into Harvard’s role in the Exchange Visitor Program.

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Kirsten Weld, a Harvard history professor, publicly criticized the DHS inspection, suggesting it serves as a political intimidation tactic. 

“What I think [the inspection] seeks to accomplish is making an employment relationship to Harvard University feel scary,” Weld told WBUR. “And that is going to have a kind of frightening and chilling effect across the different classifications of workers on this campus, from dining hall workers to faculty to student employees.”

No federal statements have been issued beyond the subpoena itself thus far. The full scope of the investigation remains unclear.

Campus Reform reached out to Harvard University and the Department of Homeland Security for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.