Trump DOJ launches new anti-Semitism task force focused on higher ed
‘The Task Force’s first priority will be to root out anti-Semitic harassment in schools and on college campuses,’ the DOJ announced.
Leo Terrell, the head of the task force, said: ‘The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump’s renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools.’
President Donald Trump’s Justice Department (DOJ) announced it will found a new “Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism.”
“Pursuant to President Trump’s Executive Order on Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism, the Justice Department announced today the formation of a multi-agency Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism. The Task Force’s first priority will be to root out anti-Semitic harassment in schools and on college campuses,” the DOJ announced Monday.
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The task force will be led by Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Leo Terrell.
“Anti-Semitism in any environment is repugnant to this Nation’s ideals. The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found. The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump’s renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools,” said Terrell.
Trump’s “Executive Order on Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism,” mentioned by the DOJ, takes several actions to protect Jewish students in higher education, including the deportation of pro-terrorist individuals.
Several universities have instituted similar anti-Semitism task forces to respond to widespread anti-Israel protests that took place in 2024, including the University of California, Los Angeles, and Columbia.
Several of these groups, however, have met with controversy over their seeming ineffectiveness.
Northwestern University’s task force, for example, was disbanded when a majority of its members left in protest of the school’s leadership seemingly caving in to the demands of anti-Israel activists.
Harvard University’s task force has also undergone controversies. One of its members is strongly anti-Israel and has accused the Jewish state of “apartheid,” and another member previously resigned, expressing her lack of confidence that the Ivy League institution would follow the task force’s guidance.
Campus Reform has reached out to the DOJ for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.