US Department of Education warns 60 colleges of antisemitism-related civil rights enforcement

The United States Education Department's Office of Civil Rights (OCR) sent a warning letter to 60 universities today (Monday), saying that if the institutions, currently under investigation for failing to protect Jewish students, did not change course, they could face enforcement actions from the federal government.

In the letter, Education Secretary Linda McMahon said that: "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. 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 antidiscrimination laws.”

The United States has already cancelled $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University due to its inability and perhaps unwillingness to seriously combat and prevent antisemitic harassment of Jewish students, which has been ongoing ever since the breakout of protest movements throughout the university over October 7 and the war in Gaza.

The OCR says that "last Friday, it directed its enforcement staff to make resolving the backlog of complaints alleging antisemitic violence and harassment, many which were allowed to languish unresolved under the previous administration, an immediate priority."

In addition to investigating universities and threatening the denial of federal funds for not protecting Jewish students, the Trump administration is also working to deport foreign nationals on student visas who engaged in pro-Hamas activity or harassment. The most prominent example today is Mahmoud Khalil from Columbia University.

There is debate within America as to whether it is lawfully right to deport Khalil solely based on rhetorical support for Hamas, however objectionable.

Defenders say that since what Khalil did does not constitute a crime but rather protected speech, he should be allowed to stay. Opponents say that since the United States can attach conditions to visas that it cannot to citizens, deportation is still very much an option. The matter is likely to be decided in court in the near future.

The Democratic post, however, contained no explanation or justification for the demand to free Khalil, legal, political, or otherwise. Accounts fighting antisemitism throughout the world such as StopAntisemitism strongly attacked the statement in replies to the post.