UCLA under fire for alleged discrimination of Jewish people

March 18, 2025

By KAREN VELIE

The Federal Task Force to Combat Antisemitism announced today that the U.S. Justice Department has filed a statement of interest in support of a civil lawsuit in Los Angeles federal court that notes the importance of federal laws that prohibit colleges and universities from discriminating against students because of their religion or national origin.

The statement of interest – filed on Monday – is part of the task force’s nationwide effort to combat antisemitism. Statements of interest are typically filed in cases involving issues of broad public concern or where the U.S. Justice Department has a strong interest in the outcome of a case related to civil rights or other important issues.

“The president, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and the task force know that every student must be free to attend school without being discriminated against on the basis of their race, religion or national origin,” said Leo Terrell, leading task force member and senior counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights. “The Department of Justice is working to combat antisemitism using all of the tools at our disposal.”

In the spring of 2024, administrators of the University of California system allowed members of a protest encampment to physically prevent University of California, Los Angeles students and faculty from accessing portions of the campus if they were wearing articles reflective of their Jewish faith or if they refused to denounce Israel, according to allegations in Frankel v. Regents of the University of California.

The plaintiffs in the case are Jewish students and a Jewish professor who allege that UCLA administration knowingly acted in concert with or allowed members of the protest encampment to prevent them from accessing a portion of the campus, adjacent classrooms and the library on the basis of their Jewish faith or national origin in violation of federal and state laws.

The United States’ statement of interest addresses the sufficiency of plaintiffs’ claims that UCLA administrators violated Title VI and the Equal Protection Clause.

The Justice Department recently announced the formation of a multi-agency task force coordinated by the Civil Rights Division to combat antisemitism, which is visiting 10 university campuses that have experienced antisemitic events.

The department also recently announced its investigation into the University of California to assess whether the university system engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination based on race, religion and national origin against its professors, staff and other employees by allowing an antisemitic hostile work environment to exist on its campuses, including UCLA.

The task force recently announced that the department, together with other federal agencies, would cancel $400 million in federal contracts and grants to Columbia University due to the school’s inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.

“Discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated in our community,” said acting U.S. Attorney Joseph McNally. “Our office will enforce anti-discrimination laws to address the issue of antisemitism affecting our residents.”

The recent arrest of pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, who was involved with protests of the war in Gaza at Columbia University last year, led over 200 UCLA students to protest last week calling for Khalil’s release.

Meanwhile, UCLA campus administrators are discussing avenues to stop the rise in antisemitism.