Trump admin opens probe into Cal State University system
The Trump administration's sweeping action will affect campuses across the California State University system
The Trump administration has launched a sweeping probe into allegations of anti-Semitism at California State University (CSU) following a discrimination complaint.
Federal officials will be reaching out to CSU staff as part of the administration’s systemwide probe of anti-Semitism allegations.
An email detailing the development was obtained by the Los Angeles Times.
The probe comes just months after the campus became a flashpoint for anti-Israel protests and encampments.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), working alongside the Department of Justice, says the probe is aimed at uncovering systemic anti-Semitism and affects all 22 CSU campuses.
The Department of Education has also piled on, launching a separate investigation into whether CSU’s partnerships with diversity-based hiring programs violated federal civil-rights law.
Cal State Los Angeles was previously subpoenaed for employee contact information as part of an ongoing anti-Semitism investigation into Cal State Los Angeles.
Faculty unions, already aligned with social justice activism, have pushed back.
The California Faculty Association blasted the subpoenas as an invasion of privacy and urged members not to respond to federal agencies without legal counsel.
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Some faculty warned that the crackdowns could have a harmful effect on speech on campus.
Chancellor Mildred García struck a far more cautious tone, telling employees the system would comply with investigators while trying to reassure staff that CSU would “continue to advance” the university’s mission despite the probe.
The move marks one of the most aggressive federal actions against higher education’s tolerance of anti-Semitism, signaling that the Trump administration is willing to use subpoenas, lawsuits, and compliance reviews to hold universities accountable.
For CSU, the message from the federal government is clear: ignore anti-Semitism at your own peril.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article misidentified an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission subpoena as part of a new federal probe of the CSU system, instead it is part of an ongoing anti-Semitism complaint at California State University, Los Angeles.
