Harvard University has announced that it has filed suit to halt a federal freeze on more than $2.2 billion in grants after the institution said it would defy the Trump administration’s demands to limit activism on campus.

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

Harvard University filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration Monday, arguing it has violated the university’s constitutional rights by freezing billions of dollars in federal funding and imperiling its academic independence.