On Monday, the Department of Education sent Title VI warning letters to 60 universities, including Tufts, that are under investigation for “violations relating to antisemitic harassment and discrimination.”
The department cites President Donald Trump’s executive order, “Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism,” and enforcement of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits any institution that receives federal funds from discrimination based on race, color or nationality.
The letters warn institutions of “potential enforcement actions” should they fail to protect Jewish students on campus as they are obligated to under Title VI. Last week, the Trump administration pulled $400 million in federal funding from Columbia University for its “continued inaction” to address antisemitic discrimination — a measure that could indicate a similar threat to Tufts.
The university did not provide immediate comment on the announcement.
The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights staff were directed on Friday to prioritize resolving a backlog of antisemitic harassment complaints.
The announcements follow Trump’s threats to cut funding from universities permitting “antisemitic harassment” on campus and his pledge to revoke the student visas of “all Hamas sympathizers on college campuses.” On Saturday, Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student at Columbia and green card holder, was arrested by ICE officers for his role in organizing protests on campus in accordance with Trump’s order to combat antisemitism.
Five universities including Columbia University, Northwestern University, Portland State University, University of California, Berkeley and University of Minnesota Twin Cities came under investigation from the Department of Education in early February. The other 55 universities are presently under investigation in response to complaints filed with the Office of Civil Rights.
Complaints of antisemitic language and actions on Tufts campus were previously reported to university leadership in March 2024 at a Tufts Community Union Senate hearing on resolutions demanding that the university recognize genocide in Gaza. In April 2024, Tufts received a failing grade in the Anti-Defamation League’s “Campus Antisemitism Report Card.” The ADL updated the grade to a ‘C’ in 2025.
This is a developing story and will be updated with more information.
