The Department of Justice (DOJ) said on July 29 that the University of California–Los Angeles (UCLA) has violated civil rights law by failing to address campus anti-Semitism.

Specifically, UCLA violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act “by acting with deliberate indifference in creating a hostile educational environment for Jewish and Israeli students,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a July 29 statement.

“This disgusting breach of civil rights against students will not stand: DOJ will force UCLA to pay a heavy price for putting Jewish Americans at risk and continue our ongoing investigations into other campuses in the UC system.”

Following the Hamas terrorist group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, and Israel’s military response, pro-Palestinian protests ensued on university campuses across the country, including UCLA. There were congressional hearings during the Biden administration, but President Donald Trump stepped up efforts to combat campus anti-Semitism, including an executive order stating that schools in violation would lose federal funding per civil rights laws.

The Civil Rights Division enforces federal civil rights laws that protect students from discrimination based on religion, national origin, and other protected characteristics. This includes Title VI, which prohibits such discrimination by recipients of federal financial assistance.

The DOJ’s July 29 notice of violation to UCLA noted that the agency’s May 9 investigation revealed pro-Palestinian protest encampments and continued harassment of Jewish students. One student reported that a protester told him, “Hitler missed one.”

Other students reported being assaulted or denied access to campus facilities because of their Jewish faith. In one instance, a student was knocked down by protesters and suffered a head wound that required hospital treatment, the notice stated.

Under Title VI of the federal Civil Rights Act, the federal government can withhold funding from institutions that discriminate by race, religion, or national origin. Trump’s administration has already done this with Columbia University and Harvard University, following investigations into anti-Semitism on those campuses.

Police were not dispatched to take down the encampment at UCLA until a week after disturbances were reported; violence erupted between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and pro-Israel counterprotesters attempting to dismantle their so-called “solidarity encampment,” according to the notice. More than 200 people were arrested, the notice stated.

The notice attributed UCLA’s reluctance to take action to the school’s consideration of “several equally important principles,” a quote attributed to Chancellor Gene Block. According to Block’s quote, these principles include “the need to support the safety and wellbeing of Bruins, the need to support the free expression rights of [UCLA’s] community, and the need to minimize disruption to [UCLA’s] teaching and learning mission.”

The DOJ issued UCLA an Aug. 5 deadline to enter into a voluntary agreement to resolve the issue. If it does not, the federal agency plans to file a federal lawsuit against the university by Sept. 2, according to the notice.

There have been nine congressional hearings on campus anti-Semitism in less than two years. The last one, on July 15, featured testimony from leaders at Georgetown, City University of New York, and the University of California–Berkeley. Republican House members said these hearings will continue until the problem is addressed.

“Our committee is building on its promise to protect Jewish students and faculty while many university leaders refuse to hold agitators of this bigotry, hatred, and discrimination accountable,” said Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.