US President Trump Announces Plans to Cut Funding for Universities that Allow "Illegal" Protests
- US President Donald Trump announced plans to cut funding for universities that allow "illegal" protests and to deport foreign students who participate
- This move follows massive student protests against Israel's war in Gaza, which swept across US college campuses
- The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression condemned the announcement, warning it would chill student protests about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Washington, D.C., USA – US President Donald Trump announced that he would cut funding for universities that permit what he termed "illegal" protests and prosecute and deport foreign students who participate.
On his Truth Social platform, Trump declared that "all federal funding will STOP" for schools allowing such protests.
Source: Getty Images
According to BBC, this announcement follows massive student protests against Israel's war in Gaza, which swept across US college campuses, including Columbia University in New York and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Condemnation and legal concerns
Trump did not specify what would constitute an "illegal" protest, though the right to protest is broadly protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) swiftly condemned Trump's announcement, stating that the president does not have unilateral authority to revoke federal funds for colleges that allow "illegal" protests.
The group warned that the move would "cast an impermissible chill on student protests about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
Federal review and investigations
In a separate announcement, the US Department of Education, General Services Administration, and the Department of Health and Human Services stated they would conduct a "comprehensive review" of Columbia University's federal contracts amid an ongoing investigation into compliance with Title VI, a federal law banning discrimination based on ethnicity or ancestry.
The education department is considering stop work orders for $51.4m (£40.19m) in contracts with the university and will review more than $5bn in grant commitments.
Executive order and campus protests
In January, Trump signed an executive order calling for the removal of foreign students who participated in protests.
The order directed government departments to recommend ways for educational institutions to "monitor for and report activities by alien students and staff" and, if warranted, remove them.
A White House fact sheet on the order specified that it aims to "protect law and order, quell pro-Hamas vandalism and intimidation, and investigate and punish anti-Jewish racism in leftist, anti-American colleges and universities."
Source: Twitter
Impact on university campuses
In April 2024, student protests against the war in Gaza drew national attention after students at Columbia were arrested at a campus encampment.
Thousands of arrests were made at universities across the country. Columbia University authorised New York Police Department officers to swarm the campus, leading to the arrests of about 100 students occupying a university building.
Four months after the protests, Columbia president Minouche Shafik resigned. Earlier this week, a federal task force announced it would visit 10 prominent US universities that have been the scene of anti-semitic incidents.
Trump makes English the official language of US
Legit.ng earlier reported that President Donald Trump signed an executive order on March 1, designating English as the official language of the United States.
This historic move marks the first time the country has had an official language at the federal level.
According to AP, the order allows government agencies and organisations that receive federal funding to choose whether to continue offering documents and services in languages other than English.
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Source: Legit.ng
