Trump Administration Accuses Columbia University of Failing to Protect Jewish Students, Citing Civil Rights Violations

WASHINGTON — May 23, 2025

The Trump administration has formally accused Columbia University of violating federal civil rights law by failing to adequately respond to antisemitic harassment on campus, marking a major escalation in its efforts to pressure elite institutions to address what it calls “rampant anti-Jewish hostility.”

In a statement issued Thursday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) charged Columbia with violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in federally funded programs. The OCR claims the Ivy League university acted with “deliberate indifference” toward reports of antisemitic incidents since October 2023.

The allegations stem from what federal officials describe as “extensive investigative findings” that span the period following Hamas’ October 7 terror attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza. According to Anthony Archeval, acting director of the HHS Office for Civil Rights, Jewish students have endured a hostile campus climate for more than 19 months.

“These findings carefully document a pattern of neglect that has compromised the safety, education, and well-being of Jewish students at Columbia,” Archeval stated. “We hope the university will cooperate with us to implement meaningful reforms that ensure real protection.”

A Columbia University spokesperson framed the OCR announcement as part of an ongoing dialogue with federal agencies. “We understand this finding is part of our ongoing discussions with the government. Columbia is deeply committed to combatting antisemitism and all forms of harassment and discrimination on our campus,” the university told CNN. “We take these issues seriously and will work with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education to address them.”

According to the federal complaint, Columbia failed to investigate antisemitic vandalism, enforce protest regulations, and follow its own grievance procedures when Jewish students raised concerns. The university, the administration claims, did not begin implementing effective countermeasures until the summer of 2024—well after the issues began.

The case is part of a wider crackdown by the federal government’s Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, established through a February executive order by President Donald Trump. The task force is also pursuing actions against other top-tier universities.

Columbia has come under particular scrutiny after student-led, pro-Palestinian demonstrations last spring sparked a national wave of campus encampments and arrests. In March, the administration pulled $400 million in grants and contracts from Columbia, citing the school’s failure to curb antisemitic activity.

In response, Columbia introduced new campus policies, including stricter limits on protests, a ban on face coverings during demonstrations, and mechanisms to hold student groups accountable. These reforms, however, have not quelled criticism from federal officials.

Harvard University was also penalized Thursday, losing its authority to enroll international students. The Trump administration accused the school of fostering what it called a “hot-bed of anti-American, anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist agitators.”

With top institutions under growing federal scrutiny, the battle over campus speech, civil rights, and protest policies is intensifying—potentially reshaping the landscape of higher education for years to come.