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Trump outlines plans to punish students, campuses involved in ‘illegal’ protests

Royce Hall is pictured. President Donald Trump said in a post to Truth Social that he would revoke federal funding from universities that allow “illegal” protests. (Daily Bruin file photo)

By Alexandra Crosnoe

March 4, 2025 10:53 p.m.

President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post Tuesday that he will revoke federal funding from universities that allow “illegal” protests – and expel or arrest American students who participate.

Trump also said in the post that he will send protesters “back to the country from which they came,” doubling down on a January executive order that promised to revoke the visas of international students who participated in pro-Palestine protests. The move comes after the United States Department of Justice announced that a Trump-led antisemitism task force will visit UCLA to investigate discrimination claims.

The task force will travel to 10 university campuses facing antisemitism allegations, including UC Berkeley and the University of Southern California, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Leading task force member Leo Terrell will meet with university administrators, impacted community members and local law enforcement as part of each campus visit, the press release said.

“The President, Attorney General Pamela Bondi, and the entire Administration are committed to ensuring that no one should feel unsafe or unwelcome on campus because of their religion,” said Terrell, the senior counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights, in the press release. “The Task Force’s mandate is to bring the full force of the federal government to bear in our effort to eradicate Anti-Semitism, particularly in schools.”

The task force will also visit Columbia University, George Washington University, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, New York University, Northwestern University and the University of Minnesota.

Several UCLA community members alleged that they faced antisemitism during last April’s Palestine solidarity encampment and subsequent pro-Palestine protests.

Three Jewish students filed a federal lawsuit against the university in June, claiming that the UCLA administration allowed pro-Palestine protesters to create a “Jew Exclusion Zone” in areas inside and surrounding the encampment.

A federal judge sided with the students in August, ordering UCLA administrators and UC President Michael Drake to provide Jewish students with equal opportunities and campus access.

[Related: Court rules pro-Palestine protesters cannot obstruct Jewish students’ accessibility]

The UC also reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education on Dec. 20 to resolve nine open discrimination allegations, including incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia from the first Palestine solidarity encampment.

[Related: UC reaches agreement with Education Department over Title VI investigations]

UCLA Vice Chancellor for Strategic Communications Mary Osako said in an emailed statement to the Daily Bruin that UCLA has enacted reforms to combat antisemitism, citing the university taking down the second Palestine solidarity encampment immediately last May, hosting conservative Jewish commentator Ben Shapiro on campus and suspending two pro-Palestine student organizations following their protest outside a Jewish UC Regent’s home in January.

[Related: Pro-Palestine protesters demonstrate outside UC Regent Jay Sures’ home]

She added in the statement that the university has supported an investigation into antisemitism.

“UCLA has been and continues to be committed to combating antisemitism and all forms of hate, which have no place on our campus or anywhere,” Osako said in the statement.

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Alexandra Crosnoe | National news and higher education editor
Crosnoe is the 2024-2025 national news and higher education editor and an Arts, Copy, Enterprise, Sports and Social contributor. She was previously news staff. Crosnoe is a second-year public affairs student from Dallas, Texas.
Crosnoe is the 2024-2025 national news and higher education editor and an Arts, Copy, Enterprise, Sports and Social contributor. She was previously news staff. Crosnoe is a second-year public affairs student from Dallas, Texas.
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