DOJ accuses George Washington University of indifference to anti-Semitism
In a statement issued Tuesday, the Justice Department said the school violated federal civil rights by creating a 'hostile educational environment' for Jewish, American-Israeli, and Israeli students and faculty.
'The Division finds that GWU took no meaningful action and was instead deliberately indifferent to the complaints it received, the misconduct that occurred, and the harms that were suffered by its Jewish and Israeli students and faculty,' the statement says.
It added that the department will seek 'immediate remediation', though no further details are given.
In a letter to the university, the Justice Department accused GWU of being 'deliberately indifferent' to complaints it received from students and faculty, saying they failed to prevent or remedy abuses despite knowing of them.
Dozens of universities may face investigation
The Justice Department notice comes as the Trump administration has intensified pressure on institutions of higher education over allegations that they have allowed anti-Semitism to fester, particularly as pro-Palestinian protests and encampments spread across US university campuses in 2023 and 2024. Critics have accused the administration of using accusations of anti-Semitism as a fig leaf in its war against higher education.
In February, the Justice Department launched a federal task force to investigate allegations of anti-Semitism at 10 university campuses: Columbia University; George Washington University; Harvard University; Johns Hopkins University; New York University; Northwestern University; the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA); the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Minnesota; and the University of Southern California.
Sixty universities were later warned by the Department of Education that they could face enforcement action against them if they do not take steps to protect Jewish students.
Last, week, the Trump administration suspended $584m in federal grants to UCLA and then requested a $1bn settlement to resolve accusations stemming from the school's handling of pro-Palestine protests.
Columbia University, similarly, saw $400m in grants cancelled and billions threatened; which were reversed only after it settled with the administration for $220m. Harvard University is in negotiations to unfreeze more than $2bn in grants; with the New York Times this week reporting they are nearing a $500m settlement.
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