Trump's Justice Department targets anti-Semitist universities and foreign nationals
NewYou can listen to Fox News articles now!
The Trump administration has taken a more aggressive approach than its predecessor to address the surge in anti-Semitic events nationwide, launching investigations, punishing elite universities, and strengthening its immigration enforcement.
President Donald Trump, through his Department of Justice (DOJ) and other agencies, is using the legal and command strategies his deputies say are necessary, but critics say it can constitute an over-litigation.
Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General of the Department of Civil Rights of the Justice Department, told Fox News Digital that she did not see any “close cases” when weighing anti-Semitism with First Amendment rights for those who oppose Israel or Judaism.
Biden Education Department will prioritize pronouns, with the left on 200 anti-Semitism complaints: Official
“Criticizing the Israeli government is not what I usually see here,” Delion said. “I saw an uprising revolution. I saw that it was a crime to stop Jewish students from walking through campus and destroying property on campus. … Quiet, polite dialogue and disagreement with Israeli policies are not what happened here. It's actually people saying that Israel shouldn't exist – and bring the revolution to the United States.”
“This violent speech has led to violence in our country,” Dhillon added.
Anti-Semitic Violence
FBI hate crime statistics show that anti-Semitic incidents in the United States were sharp and fierce, following Hamas' deadly terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) data in 2024 and a compelling event this year indicate the trend is continuing.
Police responded last week to a bomb bomb in Boulder, Colorado, where the suspect was identified as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, who was arrested and charged by state and federal authorities on the right. (Story/KDVR)
The illegal American Egyptian nationals in Boulder, Colorado, face state and federal charges allegedly suffered 15 injuries over the weekend, including an elderly victim and a dog in a serene pro-Islamic cocktail in support of hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
“He wants to kill all Zionists and hope they are all dead,” the FBI affidavit said. The agent said he shouted “Free Palestine” during the attack.
Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, who worked at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., were shot dead outside the Capitol Jewish Museum in DC in May
Illinois suspect Elias Rodriguez yelled “Free Palestine” as he was detained, and U.S. interim attorney Jeanine Pirro said her office was investigating the case as a hate crime and act of terrorism.
Mohamed Sabry Soliman and Elias Rodriguez allegedly committed crimes, including murder, and shouted “Free Palestine.” (Alex Osante / instagram /@shinewithisrael)
Suspect accused of murdering Israeli embassy staff could face death penalty
In another incident, a man allegedly caught fire at the residence of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro on the first night of Passover. Emergency telephone records released by local authorities show that suspect Cody Balmer, in the arson case and accusing Jews, cites Palestine because he is “let my friend kill me.”
Tarek Bazrouk considers himself a “Jewish hater” and says the Jews are “worthless”, allegedly carrying out a series of attacks on Jewish New Yorkers in 2024 and 2025, a prosecution against him in May.
Bazrouk, wearing a green headband, imitated Hamas Garb and Keffiyeh in the attack, celebrated Hamas and Hizballah on social media, according to federal authorities.
Harvard and Colombia
Trump warned with executive orders at the start of his presidency that foreign nationals participating in “pro-imposed protests” would be deported, emphasizing that university campuses were “infected by radicalism”.
Unlike the Biden administration, the Trump administration has since fought elite universities, some of which have caused sensation over subversive pro-Palestinian protests involving the occupation of academic buildings and installation camps.
The Trump administration has accepted elite universities such as Harvard.
Leo Terrell says Trump administrators are willing to fight all the way to the Supreme Court with Harvard anti-Semitism
In particular, Harvard and Columbia are now litigating, especially after Trump moved to foreign students who frozen billions of federal funds for colleges and classes.
The embattled school has successfully won a temporary suspension of Trump sanctions through the court, but the lawsuit is pending, with legal experts saying they face an uphill battle.
Free speech dispute
The Trump administration has zeroed non-citizen students and activists who are accused of supporting the cause of Palestine in ways that are believed to be of interest to the United States.
Mahmoud Khalil's case has become a flash point in Trump's pursuit of visa and green card holders.
Khalil was arrested in March and was accused of his detention by the government of violating immigration laws by participating in anti-Israel activism.
Khalil said in court documents this week that the government’s claims against him were “weird” and that his activism involved “protesting this indiscriminate killing of thousands of innocent Palestinians”.
Acting Columbia University President Claire Shipman was interrupted by students during graduation, chanting, “Free Mahmoud”, calling for Mahmoud Khalil to release. (Columbia University/Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Civil rights groups warn that the government's hardwood posture risks violating freedom of speech and rights to protest. A coalition of 60 groups issued a joint statement on anti-Semitic hate crimes this week that warned the Trump administration not to overcorrect it because it would “make all of us less safe.”
“When we condemn these outrageous things [antisemitic] We are also willing to ensure that these incidents and legitimate fears in the Jewish community are exploited to justify the inhumane immigration policy, or target Arab Americans, who exercise their first right of amendment peacefully and unprotectedly to support Palestinian human rights in support of Palestinian human rights. ”
“Balanced freedom of speech on campus is not my responsibility. I'm responsible for enforcing federal civil rights laws. I really have no conflict in my opinion.”
Anti-Semitic Task Force, etc.
When he took office, Trump vowed to direct Attorney General Pam Bondi to “actively prosecute terrorist threats, arson, sabotage and violence against American Jews.”
The Justice Department's Trump appointed man then acted quickly to call up the anti-Semitism task force. Darron said communications about anti-Semitism were also frequently conducted between the White House, the Justice Department and Jewish leaders.
Jewish students welcome Trump administrators’ crackdown on anti-Semitism, Hamas sympathizers on campus
Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general of the Ministry of Justice’s civil rights division, said she focused on launching the department’s efforts to combat anti-Semitism. (Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“We've heard from the Jewish community, and I probably met – I think there are at least twenty or so rabbis with my speed dial right now. I sent three emails to the rabbis in the last hour.”
She said her department has conducted several investigations on the use of land for religious purposes, including five related to Judaism, under a law called the People’s Act of Religious Land Use and Institutionalization (Rluipa). The government also informed the Jewish community that it could add security grants to synagogues, and she said the campus was a “focus” for her.
Internal turmoil
In reports that Daliron's reorganization in the civil rights department caused more than 100 lawyers to leave the department's massive Exodus, she told the media that she was not shocked by the departure and that her focus remained on launching the department's work to combat anti-Semitism.
Emil Bove, another senior Justice official, conducted an internal investigation of Colombian student protesters early this year, testing the limitations of his subordinates and the court. The investigation attracted the attention of line lawyers, who believed it was fragile and had been repeatedly condemned by the district judge, according to the New York Times.
Click here to get the Fox News app
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement in May that the New York Times story was false and sent to the newspaper, “a group of people who allowed anti-Semitism and support for Hamas terrorists for many years.”
Blanche confirmed the authenticity of the investigation and said it was partly involved in an investigation into Hamas-related images on social media for the disastrous and separatist social media of Columbia University.
