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The Department of Justice began an investigation at the University of California on Wednesday under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
Title VII provides it to the U.S. Judicial Administration, which begins an investigation into state and local government employers if they find reasonable reasons to be engaged in the “pattern or practice” of employment discrimination.
Officials say the investigation will look into allegations of discrimination across 10 UC campuses.
“The study assesses whether UC is engaged in patterns or practices of discrimination based on race, religion, and national origins against race, religion, and other employees by allowing anti-Semitic hostile work environments to exist on campus,” the DOJ said in a press release.
The UC system was pushed back in a statement to NBC4.
“We want to be clear. The University of California is unshakable in its commitment to combat anti-Semitism and protecting civil rights for all. We continue to take concrete steps to foster an environment that is free from harassment and discrimination against everyone in our university community.”
The Israeli-Hamas war struck American university campuses, sparking massive protests and ignited heated debate about the limits of freedom of speech.
Wednesday’s announcement reflects the wider Trump administration crackdown on some of America’s most elite universities.
In January, President Trump signed an executive order outlined “additional measures to combat anti-Semitism.” On February 28, the federal task force fighting anti-Semitism said investigators would visit 10 schools, including USC and UCLA, to determine whether corrective action is guaranteed.
“This Department of Justice will always defend Jewish Americans, protect civil rights, and use our resources to eradicate institutional anti-Semitism at our nation’s universities,” Attorney General Pamela Bondy said Wednesday.
In a social media post Tuesday, President Trump threatened to cut off federal funds to any university that allowed what he called an “illegal protest,” and threatened to expel international students on a visa.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression accused the proposal of “deeply cold.”
“We know so well the fire from our work defending student and teacher rights under the Obama and Biden administrations that threatening schools that have lost federal funding will lead to legitimate speech crackdowns,” the Free Speech Group said.
More than 250,000 people work in the UC system, representing California’s third largest employer, according to the 2023 Accountability Report. Ten campuses are spread across Los Angeles, Riverside, Irvine, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Berkeley, San Francisco, Davis and Mercedo.
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