Harvard Students Collaborate with Asylum Seekers for Course Credit Amid Criticisms of ‘Woke Activism

Harvard University has introduced a new course titled “Immigrant Justice Lab” this semester, allowing students to earn academic credits by engaging in research and writing efforts for individuals seeking asylum.

Listed as HIST 123, this course is available to undergraduates within Harvard’s history department, part of the social sciences division. The program is in collaboration with the Mabel Center for Immigrant Justice, a nonprofit dedicated to offering free legal representation to asylum seekers.

According to the course syllabus, it aims to equip teams of undergraduate students with the skills and knowledge necessary to assist in research and document preparation for asylum seekers represented by the Mabel Center for Immigrant Justice.

The course structure includes four distinct components, one of which emphasizes thoughtful reflection on ethical legal advocacy and responsible representation of violence and injustice in different cultural contexts.

In partnership with a legal nonprofit, Harvard’s new history course, “Immigrant Justice Lab,” offers students the opportunity to contribute to the asylum process while earning academic credit through their research and writing efforts. (Sophie Park/Bloomberg)

The course drew criticism on social media, including from Corey DeAngelis, conservative school choice advocate and Americans for Fair Treatment senior fellow, who told Fox News Digital the class is “prioritizing illegal immigrants over American students.”

“Once America’s premier university, Harvard has devolved into an irredeemable bastion of woke activism, prioritizing illegal immigrants over American students – it’s too far gone, and the only solution is to strip all federal funding and its tax-exempt status,” DeAngelis told Fox.

“With billions in endowments, Harvard doesn’t need federal handouts – President Trump must go nuclear and pull all taxpayer funding immediately to stop elite universities from using our money to aid illegal immigrants and push radical agendas,” DeAngelis added.

The Mabel Center, whose attorneys students will be working with during the semester, is funded almost entirely by contributions from “individual, foundation, and corporate donors,” according to the organization’s website and IRS data.

The program has drawn criticism from conservative advocates who argue it reflects “woke activism,” while Harvard and the nonprofit did not respond to requests for comment. (Sophie Park/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Fox News Digital reached out to the Mabel Center, but did not receive a response.

According to Harvard’s website, the course has been offered for some time, dating back to at least 2023. 

The University’s Center for International Affairs also plans to host an “Immigration Justice Lab Conference” in March which is open to the public.

“The Immigrant Justice Lab at Harvard is developing a project dedicated to generating new research on the contemporary social conditions faced by migrants in the Americas and making that research available to migrants and their advocates, and indirectly to asylum officers and immigration judges,” the description of the conference reads.

The conference comes as Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth cut ties with the Ivy League school earlier this month, saying the university was “woke.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently cut ties with Harvard, calling the university “woke” and announcing the Pentagon would end certain graduate programs and fellowships for active-duty service members there. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)

“Too many faculty members openly loathe our military. They cast our armed forces in a negative light and squelch anyone who challenges their leftist political leanings, all while charging enormous tuition. It’s not worth it,” Hegseth said.
”They’ve replaced open inquiry and honest debate with rigid orthodoxy.”

“Harvard is woke; The War Department is not,” Hegseth added.

The secretary said the department would be ending graduate-level training, fellowships and certificate programs for active-duty service members starting in the coming school year. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Harvard University, but did not receive a response. 

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