The Trump administration on Thursday claimed that Columbia University breached federal law due to its “deliberate indifference” towards anti-Israel demonstrations that have been gaining traction on campus since October 7, 2023.
According to investigative results from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR), Columbia’s response to “student-on-student harassment of Jewish students” over the last 19 months was found to be in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The HHS stated that Title VI “prohibits recipients of Federal financial support from discrimination in their programs and activities on the grounds of race, color, or national origin, which includes discrimination against individuals based on their real or perceived Israeli or Jewish identity or descent.”
HHS said it took the university until summer 2024 to “establish effective reporting and remediation mechanisms for antisemitism.” Even then, the university is accused of not investigating or punishing vandalism – such as swastikas and other hate images – in classrooms.
The office also said the university did not enforce its own time, place and manner restrictions for on-campus protests, especially in academic buildings, residence halls and libraries.
“The findings carefully document the hostile environment Jewish students at Columbia University have had to endure for over 19 months, disrupting their education, safety, and well-being,” said Anthony Archeval, Acting Director of the OCR at HHS. “We encourage Columbia University to work with us to come to an agreement that reflects meaningful changes that will truly protect Jewish students.”
Thursday’s announcement comes one day after a few Columbia graduates set their diplomas on fire in protest of former student Mahmoud Khalil’s detention. Khalil was arrested by immigration agents in March and is at risk of being deported by the Trump administration after he was accused of leading the anti-Israel movement at Columbia.
Students and others demonstrate during a protest outside the gates to the Columbia University main campus in New York City on April 21, 2025. (Reuters/Ryan Murphy)
Columbia is also down $400 million in federal funding after the Trump administration slashed budgets at universities accused of mishandling antisemitism on campus.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Columbia University for a response to the OCR’s findings. The school told The New York Times in response to the findings that it plans to work with the Trump administration to combat antisemtism on campus.
“We understand this finding is part of our ongoing discussions with the government,” a spokesman told the paper.
