The Education Department has warned 60 colleges and universities there will be consequences if they do not protect Jewish students on their respective campuses.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon‘s Office of Civil Rights issued the warning in a letter Monday, reminding the institutions, federal funding recipients that are all under investigation or monitoring for potential violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act regarding antisemitism harassment and discrimination, that they risked enforcement actions if they do not ensure that Jewish students, for example, have uninterrupted access to campus facilities and educational opportunities.
“The Department is deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite U.S. campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the relentless antisemitic eruptions that have severely disrupted campus life for more than a year. University leaders must do better,” McMahon wrote in a statement. “U.S. colleges and universities benefit from enormous public investments funded by U.S. taxpayers. That support is a privilege and it is contingent on scrupulous adherence to federal anti-discrimination laws.”
Under Title VI and after President Donald Trump signed his executive order titled “Additional Measures to Combat Antisemitism,” the Education Department launched investigations into five institutions following reports of antisemitic harassment. The 55 additional institutions are under investigation or monitoring in response to similar complaints filed with the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights.
Last week, the Education Department, in partnership with other members of the Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, including the Justice Department, the Health and Human Services Department, and the General Services Administration, announced the cancelation of $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University because of the school’s “continued inaction to protect Jewish students from discrimination,” according to Education Department.
The repeal of Columbia’s federal grants and contracts prompted Harvard University to announce Monday it was implementing an immediate hiring freeze because of the possibility Trump could make the same decision regarding Harvard.
The letter also coincides with the detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and leader of Columbia’s encampment movement last year, whose green card was revoked last week because of his “activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization,” according to Homeland Security Department spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin.
The recent Columbia graduate and permanent resident negotiated on behalf of the campus protesters who sought to have Columbia divest from Israel over its war with Hamas in Gaza. Khalil’s pregnant wife is a U.S. citizen.
Last week, the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights additionally directed its enforcement staff to make addressing the backlog of complaints related to antisemitic violence and harassment a priority.
Here are the colleges and universities that were sent the Education Department’s letter:
