President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday directing federal resources to “prosecute, remove or otherwise hold to account the perpetrators” of antisemitism on college campuses.
The order requires each federal executive agency to identify within 60 days all criminal and civil actions they can take to address antisemitism at higher education institutions. It also requires agencies to log all pending complaints alleging antisemitic civil rights violations that involve colleges or universities after Oct. 7, 2023.
“Jewish students have faced an unrelenting barrage of discrimination; denial of access to campus common areas and facilities, including libraries and classrooms; and intimidation, harassment, and physical threats and assault,” the order read.
In a fact sheet attached to the executive order, Trump threatened to “deport Hamas sympathizers and revoke student visas.” He also vowed to deport “resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests.”
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Trump’s order comes after more than a year of protests and demonstrations on college campuses in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and Israel’s ensuing offensive in Gaza.
Hamas killed more than 1,200 people and took about 250 people hostage in its 2023 attack on Israel, according to the Associated Press. Israel declared war on Hamas the next day and its military forces have killed more than 47,000 Palestinians in Gaza since, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.
Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza earlier in January that includes the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, according to the Associated Press.
This university referred to its antisemitism and Islamophobia task force report, which was released in November, in response to The Diamondback’s request for comment. The report included 10 recommendations for this university to reduce future hate-bias incidents on campus.
This university’s Jewish Student Union wrote in a statement to The Diamondback that the organization has seen “deeply troubling instances” of antisemitism on campus since Oct. 7, 2023. Students should never be targeted based on their identity, the statement said.
“Antisemitism has no place on our campus or anywhere else, and we welcome all efforts to combat this hatred and ensure a safe, inclusive environment for all,” the statement read.
In a statement to The Diamondback, this university’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter said the executive order is another attempt to “silence the truth and suppress those who stand for Palestinian liberation.”
“No executive order can erase these atrocities. No attempt at repression will deter us,” the statement read. “We will continue to speak, organize and fight until Palestine is free.”
This story has been updated.
