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President Donald Trump warned on Tuesday that he would stop funding for colleges allowing illegal protests.
Trump shared the comments in a post to his Truth Social account the morning before his speech to a Joint Session of Congress.
“All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests. Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on on the crime, arrested. NO MASKS! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” Trump wrote.
The post comes after the Trump administration warned that it could stop $51 million in contracts with Columbia University in New York over protests that harassed Jewish students.
“Anti-Semitism – like racism – is a spiritual and moral malady that sickens societies and kills people with lethalities comparable to history’s most deadly plagues,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement.
“Unlawful encampments and demonstrations have completely paralyzed day-to-day campus operations, depriving Jewish students of learning opportunities to which they are entitled,” new Secretary of Education Linda McMahon added.
Columbia University released a statement following the concern, noting that the school is reviewing the matter.
“We are reviewing tonight’s communication from the Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, and General Services Administration. Columbia is fully committed to combatting antisemitism and all forms of discrimination, and we are resolute that calling for, promoting, or glorifying violence or terror has no place at our University,” the statement read.
“We look forward to ongoing work with the new federal administration to fight antisemitism, and we will continue to make all efforts to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our students, faculty, and staff,” it continued.
The controversy comes following Trump’s executive order in January to address antisemitism on college campuses.
“Institutions that receive federal funds have a responsibility to protect all students from discrimination,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in the statement announcing the review. “Columbia’s apparent failure to uphold their end of this basic agreement raises very serious questions about the institution’s fitness to continue doing business with the United States government,” the order stated.