President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to revoke all federal funding from universities that allow "illegal protests," referring to anti-Semitic demonstrations that have erupted on college campuses since Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
"All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on on [sic] the crime, arrested. NO MASKS!"
The warning comes as anti-Semitic incidents have surged on college campuses since Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel, with Jewish students facing harassment and intimidation from protesters. More than 10,000 incidents occurred last year alone, according to the Anti-Defamation League. Anti-Israel demonstrations have often escalated into verbal and physical altercations, and universities have faced accusations of violating Title VI, which prohibits discrimination at federally funded institutions.
The Trump administration on Monday announced plans to strip Columbia University of more than $50 million in government contracts, accusing the Ivy League school of failing to address anti-Israel protests on campus.
In January, Trump signed an executive order calling for the deportation of anti-Semitic resident aliens, including student visa holders, who violate U.S. law. The order also directed federal agencies to investigate pro-Hamas intimidation and graffiti on college campuses and beyond.