The Education Department sent letters to 60 colleges and universities under investigation for alleged “relentless antisemitic eruptions,” a move the Trump administration warned could result in enforcement after the agency canceled hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding to Columbia University.
Columbia University had $400 million in federal grants canceled after the Trump administration said ... [+]
The Education Department said late Monday its Office of Civil Rights notified the colleges of investigations “relating to antisemitic harassment and discrimination.”
All of the schools face “potential enforcement actions” if the probe finds they violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act—a measure that blocks universities from receiving federal funding if they discriminate based on race, color and nationality—for failing to protect Jewish students on campus, the agency said.
The investigations follows criticism over some schools’ handling of pro-Palestinian protests on campuses last year, including some who recently requested colleges to turn over disciplinary records for students they claimed “promoted terrorism and vilified the U.S. military” by leading protests.
Before Monday, the Education Department said in early February that five of the 60 schools were under investigation: Columbia University, Northwestern University, Portland State University, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.
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Last week, the Education Department said it canceled $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University because of the school’s “continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.” In its announcement, the Education Department said any college or university that allows “illegal protests and repeatedly fails” to protect students from antisemitic harassment “will be subject to the loss of federal funding.”
Columbia University was among the schools targeted by federal agencies for pro-Palestinian protests that took place on campuses last year. Most protests involved students demanding their schools divest from Israeli companies amid Israel’s conflict with Hamas, in addition to calls for the U.S. to end military support to Israel. During some of the protests, university buildings were occupied and student activists created tent encampments as the schools faced criticism from Republicans, who argued the protests fueled antisemitism on campuses. A report by a Columbia task force found that Jewish students at the school felt “ostracized” on campus and that school officials ignored their concerns. Trump issued an executive order in January announcing measures to combat purported antisemitism on college campuses, as universities are asked to “monitor for and report” instances of antisemitism among students and staff. Trump wrote earlier this week that his administration would “find, apprehend and deport” students who engaged in “pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity.” He also threatened to cut federal funding to any school that allows “illegal protests,” though the White House has not clarified what constitutes an “illegal protest.”
Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia student with a green card who helped lead the school’s pro-Palestinian protests, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Saturday. Trump wrote on Truth Social calling Khalil a “Radical Foreign Pro-Hamas Student” and adding his detainment was “the first arrest of many to come.” The arrest has drawn stiff criticism from civil rights and First Amendment groups. Khalil was reportedly one of several students under investigation by Columbia before his arrest, including allegations he claimed were largely for sharing social media posts that he “had nothing to do with.” A federal judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration from deporting Khalil as a petition challenging his arrest plays out.
These schools received a letter from the Education Department:
Mahmoud Khalil: Trump Says Columbia Protester’s ICE Arrest Is First Of ‘Many To Come’—What We Know (Forbes)
White House Cancels $400 Million In Grants And Contracts (New York Times)