Trump administration cracks down on campus antisemitism, requests student names and nationalities – The Times of India

For the past few weeks, the US education sector has been in turmoil. In a recent development, the Trump administration has instructed attorneys working on campus-related antisemitism cases to collect the names and nationalities of students who may have harassed Jewish students or faculty, as reported by The Washington Post.
Since assuming office, President Trump has emphasized his administration’s commitment to rigorously investigating universities over their response to campus antisemitism. He contends that pro-Palestinian demonstrations have frequently escalated into antisemitic incidents, violating the rights of Jewish students. Trump has also criticized both universities and the Biden administration for failing to address the issue with sufficient urgency.
In a March 7 memo to the Office for Civil Rights enforcement staff, Craig Trainor, the Education Department’s acting assistant secretary for civil rights, made it clear that antisemitism investigations would be the office’s top priority. He also stated that the department would begin insisting on broader agreements with universities to resolve these investigations, as reported by The Washington Post.
Following this, the Education Department sent letters to nearly 60 universities, warning that many could face sanctions for failing to protect the civil rights of Jewish students.
On March 3, the Trump administration announced an investigation into Columbia University, and four days later, it canceled $400 million in grants and contracts with the institution. It then demanded significant reforms from the university before reconsidering the funding—many of which Columbia has recently agreed to, as reported by The Washington Post.
Around the same time, the Trump administration also took steps to deport several students involved in pro-Palestinian protests.
Following the February 3 notice, the Education Department requested student names and ethnicities as part of its investigation. Such inquiries typically begin with federal civil rights attorneys issuing universities a list of questions and data requests. One letter, for instance, sought details on school policies for handling complaints, reports of alleged antisemitic discrimination, and subsequent actions taken. However, the request also broadly sought the names of students potentially involved in harassment of Jewish individuals on campus—regardless of whether they had been convicted of a crime or found in violation of university policies, as reported by The Washington Post.
The role of the Office for Civil Rights is to determine whether schools have properly handled complaints of discrimination and harassment. It does not include disciplining students accused of harassment, making the government’s request for student names—and especially their nationalities—highly unusual, as reported by The Washington Post.
These developments have sparked widespread debate, with critics arguing that the administration’s measures could set a concerning precedent for student privacy and free speech on campuses. Supporters, on the other hand, see these actions as necessary to combat antisemitism in educational institutions. As the investigations continue, universities are grappling with balancing student rights, federal compliance, and growing tensions on campuses.