After Donald Trump administration’s ban on Harvard University enrolling foreign students in May, University of California is likely to follow suit. In an escalating dispute with Ivy League schools, the administration is targeting international students.
Leo Terrell, head of the Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, an interagency group hinted that “massive lawsuits” are imminent and would target the University of California system, among other institutions.
“Expect massive lawsuits against UC system. … On the East Coast, on the West Coast, in the Midwest, expect hate crime charges filed by the federal government. Expect Title VII lawsuits against those individuals who are not being protected simply because they’re Jewish,” the former news personality told Fox News.
UC spokesperson Rachel Zaentz responded that the school system is working with the Trump administration when asked about Terrell’s remark.
“The University of California abhors antisemitism and is diligently working to address, counter and eradicate it in all its forms across the system. We have been, and plan to continue, cooperating with the Administration. Antisemitism has no place at UC or anywhere else in society. The University remains entirely focused on strengthening our programs and policies to root out antisemitism and all forms of discrimination,” Zaentz said.
Even before US President Donald Trump assumed office, his allies argued that they were cracking down on antisemitism on campus. However, the administration’s agenda is part of a larger goal, laying the groundwork for a significant clash over government funding, campus control, and academic freedom. Additionally, within the White House there is a belief that this is a winning issue for Trump, politically.
Along with Terrell, May Mailman, deputy assistant to Trump and senior policy strategist at the White House and Stephen Miller, chief of staff is working to target colleges over concerns that they are not adequately combating alleged antisemitism on their campuses.
Last month, a White House official told CNN that the task force was in talks with the Columbia University and Harvard University along with University of Michigan, Northwestern University and Cornell University.
The task force also planned to visit campuses that have experienced antisemitic incidents since October 2023, including George Washington University, Johns Hopkins University, New York University, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Southern California, according to a February Justice Department press release.
As the administration seeks to intensify its attacks on Ivy League schools, university leaders have been privately negotiating with Miller to avoid the same aggressive targeting as that of Harvard, said a source familiar with the situation.
In recent weeks, Mailman had detailed discussions with university leaders, who are now wondering what signals they should give to avoid being targeted by the administration, the source said.
“The money simply cannot and will not flow unabated as it has been – and that the universities are incubators of discrimination and the taxpayer cannot support that,” a White House official responded, stating that the administration is communicating to the leaders.
These discussions are taking place at a time when some school officials visit Washington, and the administration investigates dozens of additional institutions.