Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, joined ‘America’s Newsroom’ to discuss surging antisemitism across the nation amid the Israel-Hamas war and his suggestions for Biden’s meeting with Xi. The Biden administration launched an investigation late Thursday into six top U.S. universities and one local school district over alleged antisemitic and anti-Muslim discrimination.
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights said in an announcement that five of the complaints launched Thursday evening allege antisemitic harassment while the other two allege anti-Muslim harassment. The list of schools include three Ivy League colleges — University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University and Cornell University — in addition to Lafayette College, Wellesley College, Cooper Union and the Maize Unified School District in Kansas.
“Hate has no place in our schools, period,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement. “When students are targeted because they are — or are perceived to be — Jewish, Muslim, Arab, Sikh, or any other ethnicity or shared ancestry, schools must act to ensure safe and inclusive educational environments where everyone is free to learn.”
The investigations come amid an uptick in anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses nationwide in the aftermath of Hamas militants’ surprise attack on innocent Israeli civilians on Oct. 7. Several protests have turned violent and Jewish students have reported feeling fearful attending classes or walking on campus.
Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights Catherine Lhamon added that the agency recognizes the “fear students and school communities experience as hate proliferates in schools.”
The University of Pennsylvania, one of the schools under investigation, has faced allegations of antisemitism on its campus following the Oct. 7 attacks, leading to multiple high-profile donors halting their giving to the school. The university also notified the FBI of threatening messages received by staff members targeting the Jewish community.
While Columbia and Cornell declined to comment, Lafayette College spokesperson Scott Morse stated that the college is cooperating fully with the investigation and maintains a firm stance against antisemitism, Islamophobia, and hate speech.
Wellesley College, another institution under investigation, was informed by the Education Department that it was being reviewed as a result of a complaint filed by two large Jewish student groups. The college responded quickly to an alleged antisemitic email and shared its response with the community, emphasizing that antisemitism has no place at Wellesley.
The Maize Unified School District in Kansas confirmed receipt of the investigation notification but was not aware of specific allegations. The district expressed its commitment to cooperating fully with the investigation and providing a safe and inclusive environment for all students and employees.
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art did not respond to a request for comment. However, an anti-Israel protest at the institution turned violent, with Jewish students being forced to barricade themselves in a school library on campus.
The Biden administration’s investigation aims to address the rise in antisemitism and anti-Muslim discrimination in schools and ensure that educational environments are safe and inclusive for all students. The universities and school district involved are expected to cooperate fully with the investigation.
Overall, this investigation highlights the seriousness with which the Biden-Harris administration takes its responsibility to protect students from hatred and discrimination, particularly targeting religious and ethnic minorities. It also underscores the need for schools to take proactive measures to combat antisemitism and all forms of hate speech.
