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US Justice Department Forms Task Force To Combat Antisemitism On Campuses

This initiative follows President Trump’s executive order targeting antisemitic acts and calls for deportations linked to pro-Palestinian protests. The task force coordinates with federal agencies.

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US Justice Department Forms Task Force To Combat Antisemitism On Campuses

US Justice Department on Monday announced a multi-agency task force to combat antisemitism, which will first focus on harassment in schools and universities. This follows an executive order issued by President Donald Trump, who last week warned pro-Palestinian protesters on US campuses that they risked deportation if they engaged in “pro-jihadist” activities.

Student visas, where Trump threatened to revoke visas of those described as “Hamas sympathizers,” is one of the fields targeted. In this, Trump directs the United States universities on the education related to the US laws on immigration related to foreign nationals who may give security threats to the nation.

Among the critics of the task force is Edward Ahmed Mitchell, deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. He criticized that the effort would be prone to government overreach and choke the free speech of students, who will have to be in favor of Palestinians’ rights while advocating for that. According to him, these actions conflict with constitutional protections on speech.

Announced amid a period of high tensions on US college campuses following Hamas’ attacks on Israel in October 2023 and the military response it had unleashed on Gaza, which has created significant controversy, leaders at three Ivy League universities have resigned over how they handled the unrest; civil rights organizations report a sharp increase in hate crimes against Jews, Muslims, Arabs, and other Middle Easterners.

The task force, comprising the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, will be coordinated by the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department. Civil rights groups, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said they would closely monitor the actions of the task force and might seek legal challenges if they determine constitutional rights were being violated.