The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is investigating 60 universities over allegations of antisemitism, warning that failure to comply with Title IX protections for Jewish students could have financial consequences, The Hill reported.
The department issued formal notices Monday, expressing concern that Jewish students continue to feel unsafe on campus.
"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," Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement.
She emphasized that U.S. universities receive significant taxpayer funding and must adhere to federal antidiscrimination laws to maintain that support.
The universities under scrutiny include Ivy League institutions such as Harvard University and smaller colleges like Middlebury College. The government's move follows the recent decision to cut $400 million in funding to Columbia University over its alleged failure to address antisemitism complaints.
The escalation in federal oversight comes as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested a Columbia University graduate student, Mahmoud Khalil, for his role in organizing pro-Palestinian protests. Authorities took Khalil, a Palestinian with a green card, into custody at his university-owned apartment Saturday, with plans to revoke his residency status.
Former President Donald Trump weighed in on the arrest, saying in a Truth Social post Monday that it marked the beginning of a broader crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism on college campuses.
"Following my previously signed Executive Orders, ICE proudly apprehended and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a Radical Foreign Pro-Hamas Student, on the campus of Columbia University. This is the first arrest of many to come," Trump wrote.
"We know there are more students at Columbia and other Universities across the Country who have engaged in pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity, and the Trump Administration will not tolerate it. Many are not students; they are paid agitators.
"We will find, apprehend, and deport these terrorist sympathizers from our country — never to return again. If you support terrorism, including the slaughtering of innocent men, women, and children, your presence is contrary to our national and foreign policy interests, and you are not welcome here. We expect every one of America's Colleges and Universities to comply."
The federal actions are already prompting institutional responses. Harvard University announced a hiring freeze Monday, citing uncertainty over federal funding and policy changes.
The U.S. Department of Justice has initiated a civil rights investigation into the University of California system to evaluate whether it permitted a hostile environment towards Jewish individuals on any of its 10 campuses during protests last year.
A U.S. judge scheduled a hearing for later this week to review Khalil's appeal against his detention. U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman indicated in court documents that the hearing would be held in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday, March 12 at 11:30 a.m.