Justice Department launches investigation into antisemitism allegations at UC campuses

LOS ANGELES -- The Department of Justice has launched an investigation to determine whether the University of California has permitted antisemitism on its campuses.

According to a statement released Wednesday, the Federal Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism announced it has opened a civil pattern or practice investigation into UC under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The agency said the investigation will focus on "an outbreak of antisemitic incidents" that occurred during protests following the Hamas-led attack on Israel.

It will also assess whether UC has "engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination based on race, religion and national origin against its professors, staff and other employees by allowing an antisemitic hostile work environment to exist on its campuses," the DOJ said.

"This Department of Justice will always defend Jewish Americans, protect civil rights, and leverage our resources to eradicate institutional Antisemitism in our nation's universities," said Attorney General Pamela Bondi.

The DOJ's announcement comes one day after President Donald Trump said on social media that federal funding will be stopped for any school or college that allows "illegal protests."

"Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came," posted Tuesday on social media, adding that American students will be expelled.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, and religion.

Under Title VII, the Justice Department has the authority to initiate investigations against state and local government employers where it has reason to believe that a "pattern or practice" of employment discrimination exists, the DOJ said.

For state and local governments and related entities like public universities, the DOJ shares enforcement authority under Title VII with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

The EEOC receives, investigates, and conciliates EEOC charges against state- and local-government employers, before referring those charges to the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice for potential litigation.

Eyewitness News has reached out to the UC Board of Regents for comment and is awaiting a response.