Trump Expands Crackdown on Anti-Semitism with Executive Order Targeting Foreign Protesters & University Policies
Edited by: Fern Sidman
In a sweeping new policy move, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday instructing federal agencies to identify all civil and criminal authorities available to combat anti-Semitism—including exploring avenues to deport foreign activists who violate U.S. laws. The New York Post first reported on this significant order, which mandates a 60-day review by agency leaders and directs the Justice Department to investigate incidents of pro-Hamas graffiti and intimidation, particularly on college campuses.
As the report in The New York Post details, the executive order underscores the administration’s stance on rising anti-Semitism, particularly in educational institutions. “Jewish students have faced an unrelenting barrage of discrimination; denial of access to campus common areas and facilities, including libraries and classrooms; and intimidation, harassment, and physical threats and assault,” the order states. The directive affirms that it is U.S. policy 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 also calls for the deportation of foreign nationals—including student visa holders—who have violated laws while participating in anti-Israel protests following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks that triggered Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, according to the information [provided in The New York Post report. Specifically, the executive order tasks the Secretaries of State, Education, and Homeland Security with formulating recommendations for universities to monitor and report any activities by foreign students or staff that could lead to their removal under existing immigration laws. The directive references 8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(3), a statute governing inadmissibility based on security concerns, as the legal basis for potential deportations.
The political backdrop of this move, noting that last month, six Republican-led House committees released a report urging the federal government to take stronger action against anti-Semitism. The report in The New York Post said that the report suggested that federal aid to universities should be contingent on stricter enforcement against anti-Jewish bias. The report focused particularly on Columbia University, which has been a focal point of controversy due to a large encampment that saw documented instances of anti-Semitic remarks and intimidation against Jewish students and pro-Israel demonstrators. In fiscal year 2023, allegedly non-compliant colleges received $2.7 billion in federal funding, the report found.
The issue of foreign nationals participating in anti-Israel protests has been a contentious one, with the Biden administration’s State Department and Department of Homeland Security previously accused by House Republicans of stonewalling records requests regarding the number of visa holders among such demonstrators, according to the information contained in the report in The New York Post. By signing this executive order, Trump is formalizing a policy approach he previously advocated on the campaign trail—calling for the deportation of foreign pro-Hamas protesters in the U.S.
Additionally, The New York Post report noted that this executive order builds on Trump’s previous immigration and national security directives. Just last week, the president signed another order hinting at steps toward stricter immigration enforcement against foreign nationals engaged in political activism deemed hostile to U.S. interests. The latest directive removes ambiguity by explicitly targeting anti-Semitism and reinforcing that institutions of higher education must actively report any violations by foreign students or faculty members.
The order also includes language instructing federal agencies to ensure that both admitted aliens and those already present in the U.S. do not endorse or provide material support to foreign terrorist groups. However, the precise legal mechanisms by which this provision will be enforced remain unclear.
According to The New York Post, this latest action follows a December 2023 congressional hearing in which university presidents from prominent institutions faced intense scrutiny over their handling of anti-Semitism on campuses. Also noted in The New York Times report was that Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who has since been nominated by Trump to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, directly questioned these college leaders about whether calls for the genocide of Jews constituted punishable conduct under their institutions’ policies. Their refusal to provide a definitive answer, citing free speech protections, sparked national outrage and bolstered Republican arguments for increased federal oversight of higher education institutions.
While hate speech is generally protected under the First Amendment, the House GOP report released last month contends that federal law prohibits taxpayer-funded institutions from tolerating discrimination, the report in The New York Post revealed. This legal argument could serve as the foundation for enforcing stricter campus policies on anti-Semitism, potentially by tying compliance to continued federal funding. Notably, federal courts have consistently held that non-citizens do not enjoy the same breadth of free speech protections as American citizens.
The Supreme Court’s 1972 decision in Kleindienst v. Mandel established the government’s right to deny visas to foreign nationals based on ideological grounds. This ruling built on earlier cases that upheld the deportation of anarchists and Communist activists who were not U.S. citizens. As per the information in The New York Post report, these legal precedents suggest that Trump’s administration could have broad latitude in enforcing policies that target foreign nationals who express support for designated terrorist organizations, including Hamas, which killed approximately 1,200 Israelis in the October 7, 2023, attacks.
Some of the most visible demonstrations in support of Hamas have occurred in Washington, D.C. The New York Post reported that one particularly alarming incident took place in July 2023, when demonstrators carried banners endorsing Hamas during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress. Additionally, Zaid Mohammed Mahdawi, the 26-year-old leader of the Richmond, Virginia chapter of American Muslims for Palestine, was arrested after allegedly scaling a Capitol monument and spray-painting “HAMAS IS COMIN.” Such incidents have intensified calls for stricter law enforcement measures against pro-terrorist demonstrations.
Trump’s latest crackdown on anti-Semitism also aligns with his broader strategy of leveraging federal funding as a policy enforcement tool. The New York Post report highlighted that Trump has previously employed similar tactics, including his recent executive orders temporarily freezing federal aid and halting the distribution of pending grants. A federal judge blocked the latter action on Tuesday, but the broader policy initiative remains intact.
This approach is not new for Trump. During his first term, The New York Post recalled he attempted to defund cities such as New York, Portland, and Seattle for their handling of the widespread anti-police riots following the May 2020 murder of George Floyd. While he left office before this defunding effort was fully realized, the Justice Department had already classified these cities as eligible for cuts. Now, Trump appears poised to apply the same financial pressure to universities that fail to crack down on anti-Semitism.
Also on Wednesday, the leadership of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), the nation’s largest pro-Israel organization, applauded President Trump for issuing an executive order reaffirming his adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism and instructing all departments and agencies to use the IHRA definition when enforcing civil rights law.
In a statement sent to the media, CUFI said, “today’s order additionally and importantly requires all departments and agencies to report within 60 days all civil and criminal authorities they can use to combat anti-Semitism.”
CUFI testified before the House Judiciary Committee on this issue nearly a decade ago and has sought to advance the adoption of the IHRA definition at both the federal and state level.
“One cannot defeat that which they are unwilling to define. Through this executive order, President Trump has doubled down on his landmark 2019 policy adopting the IHRA definition and reiterated his administration will continue their zero tolerance for Jew hatred. Now more than ever, I along with CUFI’s 10 million members are very grateful to the President for his unequivocal stance on this vital issue,” said CUFI founder and Chairman Pastor John Hagee.
“Anti-Semitism isn’t just a Jewish problem. It’s everyone’s problem. Despite the arguments of some, which are as loud as they are inaccurate, this definition neither outlaws anti-Semitism nor is it anti-Christian—it merely provides those tasked with confronting anti-Semitism with a clear definition of the world’s oldest and most prevalent hatred. If you have a problem with the IHRA definition, then you are the problem,” said CUFI Action Fund Chairwoman Sandra Parker.
