LOS ANGELES - The Trump administration on Tuesday escalated its legal campaign against the University of California, filing a federal lawsuit that accuses UCLA administrators of failing to protect Jewish and Israeli students from a hostile educational environment.
What we know:
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) contends that following the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, antisemitism at UCLA escalated to a point where Jewish and Israeli students were physically assaulted, injured, excluded from campus, and deprived of educational opportunities because of their perceived heritage.
According to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, UCLA violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 due to its "deliberately indifferent" response to pervasive on-campus harassment.
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The government also asserts that UCLA breached its federal funding contracts and grants. The school allegedly certified its compliance with Title VI anti-discrimination duties while simultaneously allowing discrimination to infect its campus.
Timeline:
- October 7, 2023: Following the Hamas attack on Israel, the DOJ reports that antisemitic hatred and targeted harassment began rising sharply on the UCLA campus.
- April 2024: Situations reached a flash point when masked demonstrators erected an encampment outside of Royce Hall. Occupiers set up "human phalanxes" to actively block Jewish and Israeli students from accessing academic buildings.
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A look inside UCLA pro-Palestine encampment
Cleanup efforts begin Thursday after police dismantled the encampment at UCLA and arrested dozens of protesters.
- Early 2026: The DOJ Civil Rights Division filed an initial lawsuit against the University of California, alleging a pattern of an antisemitic hostile work environment affecting UCLA faculty and staff under Title VII.
- May 26, 2026: The DOJ expanded its litigation, filing the current Title VI lawsuit targeting the university's treatment of its student body.
What they're saying:
Federal prosecutors stated that the university must be held legally accountable for its failure to intervene during periods of intense campus unrest.
"Earlier this year, we sued UCLA for subjecting its Jewish and Israeli employees to an antisemitic hostile work environment," said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. "Now, the Department of Justice calls UCLA to account for its toleration of the equally appalling hostile educational environment against its Jewish and Israeli students."
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli emphasized that federal civil rights mandates remain non-negotiable for higher education institutions receiving public funds.
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"Universities have an obligation to maintain safe and inclusive campuses for all students," said Essayli. "Universities that violate our nation’s civil rights laws by repeatedly failing to shield Jewish students from antisemitism will be held accountable."
A message sent to the University of California seeking comment on the newly filed litigation was not immediately answered Tuesday.
What we don't know:
The full extent of financial damages or specific policy mandates sought by the federal government in the final ruling has not yet been detailed.
The Source: This report is based on information from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California.