Trump administration launches investigation into U of M on antisemitism reports
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The University of Minnesota is one of five universities that is under federal investigation for reports of antisemitism.
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Education announced it is launching probes into the U of M’s Twin Cities campus, Columbia University in New York, Northwestern University in Illinois, Portland State University in Oregon and the University of California, Berkeley. The agency says the investigations are in response to the “explosion of antisemitism on American campuses following the Hamas massacre of Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, 2023.”
“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,” said Craig Trainor, Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, in the announcement.
In response, the U of M said it “will fully cooperate with this investigation.”
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“The University continues to stand firmly against antisemitism. We have and will continue to respond promptly and fully to any reports of harassment, intimidation or bias against Jewish students — or any other members of our University community — in accordance with our University values, our own policies and our responsibility under the law.”
The federal inquiry is a part of an executive order President Donald Trump signed last week that seeks to “investigate and punish anti-Jewish racism in leftist, anti-American colleges and universities” and threatens the deportation of foreign students who are “Hamas sympathizers.”
The Department of Education’s announcement on the antisemitism investigations was made a day before Trump was set to meet Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister. Negotiations in the second phase of a ceasefire deal to end the war between Hamas and Israel are currently underway.
All five universities are in states that are led by Democrats and that voted for Democratic former vice president Kamala Harris for president. Notably, the U of M was one of the first universities to negotiate an agreement with pro-Palestinian student protesters to end protest encampments on campus — raising the profile of the school.
In a letter sent to U President Rebecca Cunningham, the Department of Education cited instances, based on reporting from The Minnesota Daily, that the department says were antisemitic harassment resulting from on-campus protests.
“For instance, when Jewish students went to mourn the loss of Jewish and Israeli life at the hands of Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, at the Minnesota Hillel, anti-Israel protestors ‘trying to instill fear into the Jewish and broader University community’ surrounded the building, with attendees allegedly ‘told by the police to stay in the basement until it was safe to leave the building,’” wrote Trainor in the letter.
He also said the university “tolerated a climate that places students in fear of their own professors” and being labeled as “that Jew” or that “pro-Zionist.”
Last year, students at the U of M were part of a wave of college anti-war protests happening across the country to protest Israel’s war in Gaza. Student protesters at the U set up encampments on campus and later occupied a campus building, resulting in what the U has said was $67,000 worth of damage. Some students said in December that they were facing suspension and fines for their actions.
A total of 11 people were arrested on Oct. 21 for occupying Morrill Hall – eight who are current students and three who are alumni. One of the alums, Robyn Harbison, was charged with fourth-degree assault, with prosecutors alleging he spit at an officer. The other 10 were not facing criminal charges.
Student groups like the U’s Students for a Democratic Society, which helped lead the anti-war protests, say they are concerned about the implications of the investigation.
“We see it as a way just to essentially weaponize antisemitism, or what they call antisemitism… to suppress the pro-Palestinian movement generally, and just protests and activism in general,” said Kyle Feldhake, a member of the student organization.
He’s one of the eight students who are facing university punishments for occupying Morrill Hall and have formal conduct hearings scheduled later this month. The Minnesota chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, which also helped organized protests, said the investigation is a way to silence political dissent against Israel.
“They’re coming after us in such a blatant way now is interesting,” said Adam Ribhi, the student organization’s vice president. “We’re used to scare tactics. But this is kind of like another level of them using scare tactics to silence us.”
Ribhi said the student group still plans on organizing protests and events, but is proceeding with caution.
The Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas said in a statement it welcomed the antisemitism investigation and appreciated U of M’s pledge to cooperate.
“As the consensus public affairs voice for Minnesota’s Jewish community, we look forward to continuing to partner with Minnesota Hillel, Chabad, as well as the Jewish Federations of Minneapolis and St. Paul to ensure that the U of M is a welcoming place for Jewish students, faculty, and staff,” the organization wrote.