A type of inquiry typically used to look for racism within police departments will be used to examine whether the University of California system allowed harassment of Jewish students and staff.
The Trump administration said Wednesday it would use a law typically meant to investigate racist practices within police departments to examine whether the University of California system had engaged in a pattern or practice of antisemitic discrimination.
The move by the Justice Department comes two days after other federal agencies announced a review of Columbia University’s federal contracts to determine if such funding should be taken away over an alleged failure to protect Jewish students and faculty on campus.
President Trump has long railed against American colleges and universities for their policies toward on-campus protests against Israeli’s military actions in the Gaza Strip.
Some Jewish faculty and staff have complained that such protests, some of which featured antisemitic rhetoric, have made them feel harassed, and that the encampments impeded their ability to freely go to and from classes.
“This Department of Justice will always defend Jewish Americans, protect civil rights, and leverage our resources to eradicate institutional antisemitism in our nation’s universities,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement.
The University of California system said in a statement that it was “unwavering in its commitment to combating antisemitism and protecting everyone’s civil rights. We continue to take specific steps to foster an environment free of harassment and discrimination for everyone in the university community.”