The Federal Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism announced Friday it will visit 10 university campuses that have experienced “anti-Semitic incidents since October 2023,” including both USC and UCLA.
Federal Task Force to Combat Antisemitism Announces Visits to 10 College Campuses that Experienced Incidents of Antisemitism
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— DOJ Civil Rights Division (@CivilRights) February 28, 2025
President Trump issued an executive order on Jan. 29 creating the task force with a stated goal of “ root[ing] out anti-Semitic harassment in schools and on college campuses,” a memo by the Justice Department said on Feb 3.
The statement did not specify when the visits would take place or which incidents the task force would research.
“The President, Attorney General Pamela Bondi, and the entire Administration are committed to ensuring that no one should feel unsafe or unwelcome on campus because of their religion,” wrote Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Leo Terrell. “The Task Force’s mandate is to bring the full force of the federal government to bear in our effort to eradicate Anti-Semitism, particularly in schools. These visits are just one of many steps this Administration is taking to deliver on that commitment.”
Federal officials will meet with university leaders, impacted students, local law enforcement, and community leaders to consider “whether remedial action is warranted.”
Both USC and UCLA experienced mass student protests regarding the ongoing war in Gaza last spring.
Protesters at USC were controversially removed from campus by LAPD officers in full protective gear on May 5, 2024. Protests initially sparked widespread attention after the retraction of valedictorian Asna Tabassum’s graduation speech.
At the time, the university cited unspecified “safety concerns” after on-campus organizations complained to the administration about social media posts she made expressing support towards Palestine.
USC has kept its traditionally open campus locked down since.
In a statement provided to NBCLA, USC wrote, “the university has publicly and unequivocally denounced anti-Semitism in all its forms, and has taken strong actions to protect all of our students — including members of our Jewish community — from illegal discrimination of any kind. USC is proud to enroll one of the largest Jewish student bodies in the country, and we look forward to speaking with the Department of Justice about everything we have done to create a welcoming and non-discriminatory campus environment for all members of our community.”
Large-scale protests at UCLA date back even further back amidst a string of universities nationwide creating encampments. Tensions came to a head at a time similar to USC during the spring semester of 2024.
Dozens of UCLA students have been arrested to date, the UCLA police chief removed from office, and just last week two pro-Palestinian student groups suspended after protesting at UC regent Jay Sures’ home.
The ACLU filed a lawsuit against UCLA last October, citing suppression of free speech.
NBCLA has reached out to UCLA for a statement.
The other eight schools identified in the memo include:
- Columbia University
- George Washington University
- Harvard University
- Johns Hopkins University
- New York University
- Northwestern University
- The University of California, Berkeley
- The University of Minnesota
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