The Trump administration canceled 400 million dollars in funds to Columbia University, claiming that it has not stopped anti -Semitism on its campus.
The government of US President Donald Trump said he had canceled subsidies and contracts for a value of about 400 million dollars to Columbia University due to what he described as Anti -Semitic Harassment on Campus of the house of studies in New York City.
Friday's announcement was made in a joint declaration of the Departments of Justice, Education and Health and Human Services, as well as the General Services Administration.
The announcement occurred five days after federal agencies announced the possibility of issuing orders to stop work in contracts for 51 million dollars with the university and review its eligibility to receive more than 5,000 million dollars in federal subsidies in the future.
And it happened after Columbia established a new disciplinary committee and increased his own research on critical students against Israel, which alarmed the defenders of freedom of expression.
“Universities must comply with all federal anti -discrimination laws if they will receive federal financing. For too long, Columbia has abandoned that obligation with Jewish students studying on their campus, ”the Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, on Friday in a statement.
Columbia promised to work with the government to try to recover the funds.
“We take the legal obligations of Columbia seriously, we understand the seriousness of this announcement and we are committed to fighting anti -Semitism and guaranteeing the safety and well -being of our students, professors and staff,” said the university in a statement.
It is not known what research, projects or activities will be affected at the University, which directs a medical center, among many other functions. The institution said it already reviews the announcement. A consultation was sent to the Education Department, which issued Friday's announcement together with the Departments of Health and Justice and the Administration of General Services.
Columbia has become the first target of the campaign by President Donald Trump to cut federal funds to universities accused of tolerating anti -Semitism in the midst of war between Israel and Hamas, which began in October 2023.
Last spring, the university was at the forefront of protests against war on United States campuses. Protected protesters established a camp in April and inspired a wave of similar protests. Columbia's protesters came to occupy a campus building, so dozens of students were arrested when the police evicted the building.
In recent days, a much smaller contingent of protesters has carried out brief occupations of buildings at the Barnard College, affiliated with Columbia, to protest the expulsion of two students accused of interrupting an Israeli history class. Several students were arrested Wednesday after taking a building for several hours.
Many people who have participated in the protests said that there is nothing anti -Semitic in criticizing Israel for their actions in Gaza or expressing solidarity with the Palestinians.
Columbia has recognized concerns about anti -Semitism: a university working group said last summer that the Jews and Israelis of the school were marginalized from student groups, humiliated in classrooms and subjected to verbal abuses in the middle of spring manifestations.
Some students, and a lawyer who advises them, consider that the imposition of new disciplinary measures is an effort to appease the Government by suppressing the propalestine discourse.
Columbia was one of the five universities that has been the subject of new federal research on anti -Semitism, and is one of the 10 that receive the visit of a working group in response to accusations that they have not protected Jewish students.
Other institutions under investigation are the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Minnesota, the Northwestern University and the State University of Portland.
(With information from Reuters and The Associated Press)