US President Donald Trump has reportedly ordered a sweeping law enforcement crackdown on anti-semitism on college campuses, including the deportation of pro-Hamas activists on student visas.
According to a report from Fox News, Trump’s directive mandates that all federal agencies identify within 60 days the civil and criminal authorities available to combat anti-semitism, ensuring that any anti-Jewish activists who violate the law face prosecution or removal.
“It shall be the policy of the United States to combat anti-semitism vigorously, using all available and appropriate legal tools, to prosecute, remove, or otherwise hold to account the perpetrators of unlawful anti-semitic harassment and violence,” the order states.
Federal action against campus unrest
A White House fact sheet obtained by Fox News indicates that the department of justice will take immediate action to investigate and penalise anti-Jewish discrimination, particularly at what it describes as “leftist, anti-American colleges and universities.”
The announcement comes amid rising tensions on US campuses, where anti-Israel demonstrations intensified after the Oct 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel. Recent Republican reports have accused the Biden administration of failing to address anti-semitism at these institutions and of withholding data on visa holders among anti-Israel protestors.
Education and cultural policies
In addition to the crackdown on campus anti-semitism, Trump has signed two education-related executive orders. One order will strip federal funding from K-12 schools that teach critical race theory or radical gender ideology, while another supports school choice initiatives.
Trump also signed an executive order establishing the White House Task Force on Celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary. The group will plan the US semiquincentennial celebrations set for July 4, 2026.
Protecting monuments and public order
The executive order also reinstates a measure Trump originally signed in June 2020 to protect American monuments and memorials from vandalism and criminal violence. Citing recent incidents of pro-Hamas-related vandalism, the order references attacks on Washington, DC, landmarks, including the treasury department building and Lafayette Square, as well as the Columbus Memorial Fountain and Freedom Bell at Union Station.
