A Justice Division official spearheading President Trump’s battle towards Harvard College — which has led to a number of lawsuits and the varsity shedding billions in federal funding — says the administration intends to take the College of California to courtroom over alleged antisemitism.
Leo Terrell, senior counsel for the Civil Rights Division of the Division of Justice, is heading a multiagency process pressure on combating antisemitism and mentioned in a Tuesday Fox Information interview that there will probably be “huge lawsuits towards [the] UC system” and different faculties “on the East Coast, on the West Coast, within the Midwest.”
“Anticipate hate crime fees filed by the federal authorities. Anticipate Title VII lawsuits,” Terrell added, referring to U.S. civil rights regulation that protects towards employment discrimination based mostly on “race, coloration, faith, intercourse or nationwide origin.” The duty pressure has singled out UCLA, USC and UC Berkeley along with Harvard and 6 different U.S. campuses for investigations.
Talking individually in an interview with Jewish Information Syndicate, Terrell mentioned the campuses — which additionally embrace Columbia, George Washington, Johns Hopkins, New York and Northwestern universities and the College of Minnesota — have rebuffed process pressure investigators. The duty pressure, introduced in March, has not made its meant visits to campuses, college students and regulation enforcement due to “resistance,” he mentioned.
Terrell, a civil rights legal professional who beforehand labored in Los Angeles and is a former Fox Information persona, didn’t elaborate on the “resistance” remark and didn’t reply to an e-mail from The Occasions requesting an interview and particulars in regards to the investigations and pending lawsuits.
In a press release, a UC spokesperson mentioned the college “abhors antisemitism and is diligently working to handle, counter and eradicate it in all its varieties throughout the system.”
“We now have been, and plan to proceed, cooperating with the administration. Antisemitism has no place at UC or anyplace else in society,” mentioned Rachel Zaentz, senior director of strategic and demanding communications. “The college stays fully centered on strengthening our packages and insurance policies to root out antisemitism and all types of discrimination.”
UC has not launched details about whether or not the duty pressure has visited campuses or what data it has requested from UCLA and UC Berkeley.
A USC spokesperson didn’t reply to a query about whether or not the duty pressure has visited the campus.
“The college continues to publicly and unequivocally denounce antisemitism in all its varieties and has taken robust actions to guard all of our college students — together with members of our Jewish group — from unlawful discrimination of any form,” the college mentioned in a press release. “USC is proud to draw one of many largest Jewish pupil our bodies within the nation. We sit up for partaking with the duty pressure on USC’s efforts to fight antisemitism.”
Terrell’s group additionally mentioned in February that it will meet with mayors of Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Boston. A spokesperson for Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ workplace didn’t reply to a query about whether or not the L.A. assembly has taken place. Terrell mentioned on Fox Information that he was “ecstatic” a couple of latest assembly with New York Mayor Eric Adams, whom Terrell known as a “new accomplice.”
In March, the Training Division despatched letters to sixty campuses warning them to “shield Jewish college students” or “face potential enforcement.” They included 4 UC campuses — San Diego, Santa Barbara, Berkeley and Davis — in addition to USC, Pomona School, Stanford, Chapman College, Santa Monica School and Sacramento State.
That very same month, the Justice Division mentioned it had launched a civil rights investigation into allegations of antisemitism on the College of California, saying its attorneys imagine there’s a “potential sample” of discrimination towards Jewish workers on the state’s flagship greater training system.
Harvard has been underneath assault from the White Home, which has accused the nation’s oldest college of abetting antisemitism in reference to pro-Palestinian protests of the warfare in Gaza, which was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, assault on Israel.
Harvard has sued the Trump administration after being reduce off from billions in federal medical analysis and different funding and after its capacity to enroll overseas college students was briefly revoked earlier than a Boston-based federal decide issued an injunction final week. A listening to on the overseas college students case will happen Thursday.
Harvard has mentioned it helps addressing considerations about anti-Jewish sentiment however believes Trump is threatening educational freedom via calls for to remake its governance, admissions practices, ideological range and pupil self-discipline.
Federal places of work together with the Training, Justice and Well being and Human Companies departments have put dozens of faculties on discover over antisemitism or discrimination allegations this 12 months, however Harvard and Columbia have confronted the strongest actions.
