The university called the funding freeze "unlawful and beyond the government’s authority" and warned of severe and long-lasting consequences.

BOSTON — Harvard University announced Monday that it was suing the Trump administration to halt a freeze on more than $2.2 billion in grants after the institution said it would defy the administration’s demands to limit activism on campus.

Harvard’s lawsuit comes after the administration sought to force the university to comply with a list of demands by cutting billions in federal funding the school receives.