Hours after Harvard University officials said they wouldn't roll over to the Trump administration's demands, an education task force announced it would freeze $2.2 billion in federal funds to the Ivy League institution.

Why it matters: The Trump administration's response to Harvard rejecting its litany of demands shows what may be in store for colleges under scrutiny for diversity, equity and inclusion practices and alleged antisemitism.

• Harvard is one of several elite universities whose federal research grants and other program funding are under review by the Trump administration.
• While that effort is officially about fighting antisemitism, university president Alan Garber wrote earlier Monday that the demands are really about imposing "direct governmental regulation" of higher education.

Driving the news: The university rejected the Trump administration's proposal to keep $9 billion in federal funds flowing, per Garber's letter to the Harvard community.

• University officials were responding to an April 11 letter from the Trump administration, requesting multiple audits over hiring, admissions and college practices.
• Following the letter's publication, the Trump administration's Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism said it would freeze the funds and up to $60 million in multi-year contracts.

What they're saying: "Harvard's statement today reinforces the troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation's most prestigious universities and colleges — that federal investment does not come with the responsibility to uphold civil rights laws," the task force said in a statement Monday night.

• When asked for comment on the Trump administration's action, Harvard referred Axios to Garber's letter, in particular the paragraph that states: "For the government to retreat from these partnerships now risks not only the health and well-being of millions of individuals, but also the economic security and vitality of our nation."
• The warning refers specifically to the potential consequences of pulling funding for research into diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, as well as critical technologies such as AI and quantum computing.
• The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

State of play: Several universities have been negotiating with the government to avoid funding cuts.

• Columbia University has complied with several of Trump's demands and is still negotiating an agreement that could give the government considerable influence over the university, per the NYT.
• Harvard is the most prominent example of a university outright rejecting the demands.

The intrigue: Garber's letter was amended after publication to change a line stating that Harvard "will not negotiate over its independence or constitutional rights" to Harvard "will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights."

• A Harvard spokesperson declined to comment on the record about the reason for the change.
• In a separate letter to Trump administration officials, lawyers representing Harvard said the university was "open to dialogue" but would not accede to demands that go beyond the government's "lawful authority."

Driving the news: Garber argued the administration's demands violated Harvard's First Amendment rights.

• "No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue," he wrote.

Zoom in: The Trump administration's April 11 letter to Garber included a series of demands, including a third-party audit of each Harvard department for "viewpoint diversity."

• Other demands include ensuring hiring, promotion and admissions decisions are merit-based and not based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin; rejecting international applicants who are "hostile to American values"; getting a third-party audit of various Harvard schools for antisemitism; and submitting quarterly reports to the federal government through 2028 showing they're implementing the reforms listed in the letter.
• Cambridge officials and residents rallied Saturday, calling for Harvard to reject the federal government's demands, the Boston Globe reported.

Go deeper: Why Harvard's endowment won't save it from Trump

Editor's note: The headline and text of this article were edited to reflect the removal of the "will not negotiate" language from Garber's letter. The story has also been updated throughout with additional details and context.

The arrest of a Tufts University student by hooded Homeland Security agents in plain clothes — caught on video on a suburban Boston street — is raising fresh questions about the Trump administration's aggressive crackdown on immigrants over the opinions they've expressed.

Why it matters: The administration's push to quickly scoop up, detain and deport college students with pro-Palestinian views has stunned civil libertarians, who say it violates American traditions of free speech and due process under the law.

• Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish national and doctoral student at Tufts, was arrested after co-authoring an opinion piece in the Tufts student newspaper that called for "the equal dignity and humanity of all people," including Palestinians.

The big picture: Ozturk's arrest comes amid other detentions of legal residents over speech, including the administration's threats to law firms that help immigrants.

• It also comes as the Trump administration has deported scores of immigrants as gang members based on their tattoos — though family and lawyers say some of the detainees' markings were merely images from Latino culture and sports.

Catch up quick: The video of Ozturk's arrest, which is circulating online, shows her being stopped by undercover federal agents while walking in Somerville, Mass.

• In the video, Ozturk, who is Muslim and wearing a hajib, is approached by federal agents in dark hoodies who confront her.
• A frightened Ozturk protests but is whisked away by the agents.

Zoom in: Ozturk, who was observing Ramadan, was on her way to meet with friends to break her fast, her attorney, Mahsa Khanbabai, tells Axios Boston's Steph Solis.

• Her arrest came a few days after a pro-Israel group called the Canary Mission flagged Ozturk to federal authorities for alleged anti-Israel activism, Salon reported.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Ozturk was "engaged in activities in support of Hamas," but didn't explain what those activities were.

• Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) records on Thursday showed that Ozturk already had been moved to an ICE detention facility in Basile, La.

State of play: Ozturk's arrest and the similar detention of Mahmoud Khalil, an organizer of the pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, appear to be part of Secretary of State Marco Rubio's "Catch and Revoke" program.

• The program focuses on students who protested against the war in Gaza and uses the Cold War-era Immigration Nationality Act of 1952 to deport immigrants whom the administration deems a security risk.
• "We do it every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visas," Rubio told reporters Thursday during a visit to Guyana.
• It's part of what the Trump administration calls its effort to fight antisemitism on college campuses — but that what critics say is really an effort to erode free speech and push a Christian nationalist agenda.

A senior State Department official called the demonstrators it's targeting "Hamasniks" — people the government claims have shown support for the terror group.

• More than 300 foreign students have had their student visas revoked in the three weeks "Catch and Revoke" has been in operation, the official said.

Yes, but: Some Jewish and immigrant advocates said the Trump administration's actions are doing more harm than good in fighting antisemitism.

• "Jewish safety is inextricably linked with inclusive democracy in which everyone's fundamental rights are protected," Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and a Tufts alum, said in a statement.
• "What happened to Rumeysa Ozturk is chilling. Taken off the street by masked agents in unmarked cars is something we associate with authoritarian regimes, not a country that claims to uphold the rule of law," said Vanessa Cárdenas, executive director of America's Voice.

Between the lines: The arrests and lack of due process in other cases have some experts worried about the nation's trend toward fascism and authoritarianism under Trump.

• "There is a concern here that we may be moving in that direction in terms of fascist ideology if people are not afforded the rule of law," Anthony DiMaggio, author of "Rising Fascism in America: It Can Happen Here," tells Axios.
• So far, DiMaggio said most detained immigrants are fighting their cases in the federal court system.
• In the meantime, some Republicans are calling for federal judges who issue rulings against the Trump administration's wishes to be impeached.
• And this week, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), a Trump loyalist, floated the idea of Congress eliminating some federal courts.

Republican legislators called for a Department of Justice investigation into Democratic mayors they accused Wednesday at a House committee hearing of leading sanctuary cities.

The big picture: A "sanctuary city" label could have major consequences, with Republicans threatening to pull federal funding and, in Denver Mayor Mike Johnston's case, pursue criminal charges.

• President Trump signed an executive order the day he was inaugurated calling for federal grants to sanctuary cities to be cut.

Driving the news: Although federal courts have blocked Trump's order, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and New York Mayor Eric Adams were targeted in a five-hour-plus House Oversight Committee hearing in Washington, D.C. Wednesday.

• Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) defined sanctuary cities as those that "violate federal immigration law by protecting criminal aliens" and those that "refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement efforts."

What they're saying: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) accused the mayors of "harming the American people."

• Johnson responded: "We comply with all laws, local, state and federal."

Friction point: The Democratic mayors and Republican lawmakers primarily disagree on the circumstances that should compel local law enforcement to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

• All the mayors said they work with ICE when presented with a criminal warrant.
• Republican legislators, however, say the cities must additionally honor ICE detainers, which require holding arrestees longer than legally allowed.
• Several municipalities face lawsuits for using detainers when detainees were determined to be U.S. citizens.

Zoom in: Adams is suing the Trump administration for funding for asylum seekers.

• He faces federal bribery and fraud charges the DOJ is fighting to have dropped so Adams can comply with Trump's immigration policies.
• He agreed to honor detainer requests.

More from Axios:

• Republicans push to investigate sanctuary city mayors
• Boston mayor grilled as misinformation flies at sanctuary cities hearing
• Congress threatens Denver mayor with jail over immigration policies

False rumors and panic have hit cities coast to coast after federal authorities began a nationwide immigration crackdown, prompting advocates and community leaders to warn people to seek reliable sources of information and keep calm.

Why it matters: Misinformation can ripple through already tense communities, leading to people staying home from work and school.

State of play: Within a couple days of the Trump administration announcing it would allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to conduct enforcement in schools, a false report that ICE offers had showed up to a Chicago elementary school was shared in news reports and even by the governor.

• A similar rumor spread in Philadelphia, prompting the School District of Philadelphia, home to over 198,000 students, to release a statement denying that ICE had been in schools.
• In San Francisco, a middle schooler's claim she'd encountered an ICE agent on a city bus set off panic among parents and others in the city, per a report in the San Francisco Standard.

In immigrant communities in Colorado, online posts warning of raids spread quickly before local police stepped in, saying they were not aware of any action.

• And in Boston on Tuesday, leaders of the Boston Children's Hospital reassured the public that ICE had not raided the facility after several popular social media accounts reposted a false rumor.

What they're saying: "Misinformation is really dangerous because it creates panic and it creates chaos in any community, and immigrant communities are no different," says Conchita Cruz, co-executive director of the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project (ASAP).

• "I think that part of what is so difficult about this moment for so many immigrants around the United States is that a lot of the executive orders, a lot of the policy changes that are being announced are really not clear."

Between the lines: Top Trump administration officials have made contradictory statements about whether ICE raids would target people with criminal records, or anyone in the country illegally.

• Immigration officials have also not offered specifics as to the circumstances under which they would attempt to arrest someone at a school, for example.
• Whether by design or not, that ambiguity is feeding into the climate of fear and confusion.

An earthquake off the coast of Maine reverberated across New England Monday morning.

Driving the news: A 3.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of York Harbor, Maine before 10:30am, per the U.S. Geological Survey.

• Residents from Maine to Hartford, Connecticut, reported feeling the earthquake, per responses to the USGS.
• The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency said there were no reports of damage.

Our thought bubble: Axios copy editor Egan Millard, who lives in Somerville, says, "I experienced many earthquakes when I lived in Alaska and the shuddering, swaying motion I felt was uncanny. I didn't think I'd ever feel it here."