Trump Admin Sues UCLA Over Alleged Antisemitism on Campus
Trump Administration Sues UCLA Over Allegations of Antisemitism
The Trump administration filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the University of California, alleging that UCLA administrators have “routinely ignored” and “failed to report” employee complaints of antisemitism since the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza spurred a surge in pro-Palestinian campus activism.
The Department of Justice alleges in court documents that UCLA has an ongoing, “severe and pervasive” antisemitism problem, citing pro-Palestinian protests – including one in January – that it contends are anti-Jewish or anti-Israeli. The lawsuit represents a significant escalation of the Trump administration’s actions against the University of California system, which have included multiple civil rights investigations launched since 2025.
“Based on our investigation, UCLA administrators allegedly allowed virulent anti-Semitism to flourish on campus, harming students and staff alike,” U.S. Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi said in a statement. “Today’s lawsuit underscores that this Department of Justice stands strong against hate and antisemitism in all its vile forms.”
UCLA spokesperson Mary Osako stated the university “stands firmly by the decisive actions we have taken to combat antisemitism in all its forms, and we will vigorously defend our efforts and our unwavering commitment to providing a safe, inclusive environment for all members of our community.” Chancellor Julio Frenk has stated that antisemitism is “abhorrent and has no place at UCLA,” and that the university has taken “concrete and significant steps to strengthen campus safety, enforce policies, and combat antisemitism in a systemic and sustained manner.”
The 81-page federal suit, filed in California’s Central District, builds on previous actions by the Trump administration. In August, the administration demanded that UC pay nearly $1.2 billion to settle civil rights investigations related to complaints of antisemitism against students and employees, allegations of race-based affirmative action, and the recognition of transgender people’s gender identities on campus. UC President James B. Milliken said at the time that the payment would “completely devastate” the system.
Federal lawsuits by UC workers resulted in a San Francisco-based federal judge issuing temporary orders to restore UCLA grants and block portions of the proposed settlement. The court order also criticized Trump administration proposals for the Westwood campus to ideologically screen foreign student applicants, limit protest rights, disavow the recognition of transgender people, end race-related scholarships, halt gender-affirming care for minors, and share personnel files with the government.
UC leaders have indicated they are open to talks with the government over civil rights concerns, with Milliken stating he will protect the “freedom to teach, learn, and research without outside interference.”
Tuesday’s suit stems from an investigation the Department of Justice launched in March of last year into allegations of workplace antisemitism at the University of California. Government attorneys at the time believed there was a “potential pattern” of discrimination against Jewish employees. While the investigation focused on the UC system, the lawsuit specifically addresses findings at UCLA.
The suit does not cover other Trump administration allegations from last summer against UCLA, including those of discrimination against Jewish students, cisgender women in sports, and white and Asian American students in admissions. UCLA maintains it follows the law in each of these areas.
U.S. Assistant Atty. Gen. Harmeet K. Dhillon said that the “litany of vile acts of antisemitism that allegedly took place, and continue to take place, at UCLA are, if found to be true, a mark of shame against the University of California.” Dhillon heads the Civil Rights Division, which is overseeing the UCLA investigation.
Much of the lawsuit focuses on the spring of 2024, when protests over Israel’s war in Gaza led to a tumultuous period at UCLA. Jewish students and faculty reported “broad-based perceptions of antisemitic and anti-Israeli bias on campus,” according to a UCLA antisemitism task force. A group of students later filed a lawsuit, alleging that UCLA violated their civil rights, and reached a settlement that included millions of dollars and concessions from the university.
Since then, UCLA has implemented several campus changes, including a ban on masks to conceal identity while violating campus policies – such as overnight encampments without permits. The university also suspended Students for Justice in Palestine after finding the group associated with vandalizing a UC regent’s property. Complaints have continued from both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel groups regarding uneven enforcement of campus policies.
“Although UCLA has made limited changes to address the general hostilities affecting Jewish and Israeli employees that existed on campus during the 2023 to 2024 academic year, UCLA has not sufficiently addressed the systemic ongoing issues related to preventing and correcting individual employee complaints of antisemitism,” the lawsuit states.