Trump Education Dept launches probe into ‘explosion of antisemitism’ at 5 universities

The Education Department (DoEd) is probing five institutions of higher education with large-scale reports of alleged antisemitism after the 2023 deadly terrorist attack in Israel.

The terrorist group Hamas coordinated an attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, provoking an ongoing Israeli military response that in turn prompted anti-Israel protests to break out on college campuses across the U.S. Many protests were not immediately shut down, and Columbia University canceled its main commencement ceremony due to safety concerns. 

Two weeks after assuming office, Trump’s DoEd is alleging that “the Biden Administration’s toothless resolution agreements did shamefully little to hold those institutions accountable,” prompting a new federal probe into five universities the administration identified as having reports of “widespread antisemitic harassment.”

The DoEd announced it will investigate five universities: Columbia University, Northwestern University, Portland State University, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

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President Donald Trump is shown in the Oval Office on Jan. 30, 2025. (Getty Images)

“Too many universities have tolerated widespread antisemitic harassment and the illegal encampments that paralyzed campus life last year, driving Jewish life and religious expression underground. The Biden Administration’s toothless resolution agreements did shamefully little to hold those institutions accountable,” Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights at the DoEd, said in a statement. 

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“The Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses, nor will it stand by idly if universities fail to combat Jew hatred and the unlawful harassment and violence it animates,” Trainor wrote.

The investigation comes days after Fox News Digital reported that Trump ordered the potential removal of anti-Jewish protesters with student visas from the country.

Police make an arrest as they confront anti-Israel protesters at UCLA on May 2, 2024. (Etienne Laurent)

Northwestern University, Portland State University and the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, told Fox News Digital they would comply with the department’s investigation.

“There is no place for antisemitism or any form of identity-based discrimination or hate at Northwestern University. Free expression and academic freedom are among our core values, but we have made clear that these values provide no excuse for behavior that threatens the well-being of others,” Jon Yates, vice president of global marketing and communications at Northwestern University, told Fox News Digital in a statement.

“Portland State University is dedicated to upholding a safe, inclusive and respectful community for all community members. We take these concerns seriously,” Portland State University told Fox. “The university continues to support and engage with efforts to combat antisemitism and mitigate the impact of hate and bias.”

The school noted that “it is the university’s understanding” that the investigation notice “initiates a directed investigation — which means it is not based on a specific complaint from an individual, but instead is prompted by the new administration.”

Anti-Israel protesters are shown at Columbia University in New York City on April 29, 2024. (David Dee Delgado)

The University of Minnesota said in a statement that they are “confident in our approach to combating hate and bias on our campus and will fully cooperate with this investigation.”

Columbia University did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment at the time of publication.

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The Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Education and the Workforce sent a letter, obtained by Fox, to Columbia University in September asking whether the university was “maintaining a safe environment for all members” as a recipient of funding through Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants.

Columbia University reportedly received $611,173,605 in National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants in fiscal 2024, according to the HHS public page on NIH funding.

Fox News Digital’s Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.