Trump administration alleges anti-Semitic work environment at UCLA
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Large pro-Palestinian protests, cast by US President Donald Trump as anti-Semitic, were held at the University of California, Los Angeles, in 2024.
PHOTO: REUTERS
WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump’s administration has sued the University of California system over alleged discrimination against Jewish and Israeli employees at the University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) involving what the Justice Department called an anti-Semitic hostile work environment.
The lawsuit on Feb 24, filed in Los Angeles, marks the latest instance of the Trump administration acting against a US university and represents its latest dispute in Democratic-governed California.
Mr Trump in 2025 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 programmes 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 anti-Semitism 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 anti-Semitism.
UCLA said it has taken steps to combat anti-Semitism by establishing an initiative to implement institutional changes, reorganising 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 anti-Semitic 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 US support for its ally, along with a divestment of funds by universities from companies supporting Israel.
Mr Trump has cast pro-Palestinian protests as anti-Semitic. Protesters, including some Jewish groups, have said the US government wrongly conflates their criticism of Israel’s assault on Gaza and its occupation of Palestinian territories with anti-Semitism and their advocacy for Palestinian rights with support for extremism.
The University of California system receives more than US$17 billion (S$21.5 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 anti-Semitism.
Mr 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 more than US$200 million to the government
A mob violently attacked pro-Palestinian protesters at UCLA in 2024, leading to changes in campus police leadership. REUTERS
