05
Mar
Mar
TRUMP THREATENS TO WITHHOLD FEDERAL FUNDING FROM UNIVERSITIES ALLOWING “ILLEGAL PROTESTS”
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CapitalTimesNews / 3 days
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- 2 min read
President Donald Trump has issued a stern warning to universities, threatening to withdraw federal funding from institutions that permit “illegal protests” on campus. In a statement on Truth Social, Trump declared, “All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests.” He also vowed to imprison “agitators” involved in such protests, while foreign students participating in demonstrations would face deportation. Trump’s statement comes amid growing concerns over anti-Semitic protests on college campuses, particularly at Columbia University. The Trump administration has threatened to revoke $51.4 million in government contracts from Columbia due to its failure to take disciplinary action against anti-Israel protests that targeted Jewish students. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. condemned anti-Semitism, stating, “Anti-Semitism – like racism – is a spiritual and moral malady that sickens societies and kills people with lethalities comparable to history’s most deadly plagues.” Columbia University received approximately $1.3 billion in federal grants during the 2024 fiscal year, accounting for about 20 percent of its operating budget. The university has faced criticism for its handling of anti-Israel protests, with Jewish students expressing concerns about their safety on campus. Trump’s actions align with his executive order directing federal agencies to take action against “pro-Hamas vandalism and intimidation” and investigate elite American universities that allow anti-Semitic acts. The Justice Department has formed a task force to examine campus anti-Semitism, which plans to visit ten universities, including Columbia, to address the issue. Trump has also authorized the deportation of Hamas sympathizers and the revocation of student visas for those engaged in anti-Israel protests. “To all the resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests, we put you on notice: come 2025, we will find you, and we will deport you,” Trump declared.