By Kanishka Singh and Andrew Goudsward
WASHINGTON, Feb 24 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s administration has sued the University of California system over alleged discrimination against Jewish and Israeli employees at UCLA involving what the Justice Department called an antisemitic hostile work environment.
Tuesday’s lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles, marks the latest instance of the Trump administration acting against a U.S. university and represents its latest dispute in Democratic-governed California. Trump last year tried to freeze hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds for UCLA over pro-Palestinian protests but a judge directed that those be restored.
The Republican president has attempted to crack down on universities over pro-Palestinian protests against Israel’s assault on Gaza, transgender policies, climate programs and diversity initiatives, leading to concerns over academic freedom, free speech and due process.
The lawsuit filed by the Justice Department seeks a court order requiring UCLA, part of the University of California system, to investigate and address antisemitism complaints and provide training on anti-discrimination policies. It also seeks an unspecified amount in monetary damages to go to two UCLA professors who alleged being subjected to antisemitism.
The University of California, Los Angeles, said it has taken steps to combat antisemitism by establishing an initiative to implement institutional changes, reorganizing its civil rights office and hiring an officer to ensure oversight related to civil rights laws.
The lawsuit alleged that “UCLA’s administration turned a blind eye to, and at times facilitated, grossly antisemitic acts and systematically ignored cries for help” from its Jewish and Israeli employees after the October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel.
CAMPUS PROTESTS
Large protests were held on UCLA’s campus during the 2024 pro-Palestinian protest movement, in which demonstrators demanded an end to Israel’s war in Gaza and U.S. support for its ally, along with a divestment of funds by universities from companies supporting Israel.
Trump has cast pro-Palestinian protests as antisemitic.
Protesters, including some Jewish groups, have said the U.S. government wrongly conflates their criticism of Israel’s assault on Gaza and its occupation of Palestinian territories with antisemitism and their advocacy for Palestinian rights with support for extremism.
The University of California system receives more than $17 billion each year in federal support.
The University of California, Berkeley, another campus in the University of California system, said in September it provided information on 160 faculty members and students to the Trump administration in a probe involving alleged antisemitism.
Trump’s administration has reached deals to settle investigations involving Columbia and Brown University, with academic experts raising alarm over parts of those agreements. Columbia had agreed to pay over $200 million to the government and a further $21 million to a fund to resolve alleged civil rights violations against Jewish employees.
Trump has not initiated equivalent probes into allegations of Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian bias. A mob violently attacked pro-Palestinian protesters at UCLA in 2024, leading to changes in campus police leadership.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh, Andrew Goudsward, Costas Pitas and Ismail Shakil; Editing by Caitlin Webber, Will Dunham, Rod Nickel)
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