Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, July 30th - On the 29th, the U.S. Department of Justice stated that since the outbreak of the latest Israel-Palestine conflict, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) had intentionally created a "hostile environment" for Israeli and Jewish students, violating relevant federal civil rights laws.

Over the past few months, the U.S. government has threatened multiple measures such as cutting off funding and banning the recruitment of international students, demanding several renowned American universities to accept various reform requirements, including eliminating "anti-Semitism."

A photo of the U.S. Department of Justice building. Xinhua News Agency photo (Aaron, photographer)

Alleged Violation of Law

On the 29th, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that the investigation found concerning evidence of systemic anti-Semitism at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the university must take responsibility for this.

The U.S. Department of Justice said that the University of California, Los Angeles "intentionally showed indifference in creating an educational environment hostile to Jewish and Israeli students," violating the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

The Department of Justice said it is seeking a settlement agreement with the university "to ensure the elimination of the hostile environment and to take reasonable measures to prevent such situations from occurring again."

May 28, 2024, staff members at the University of California, Los Angeles in California, USA, participated in a strike to protest the school's handling of pro-Palestinian anti-war protests. Xinhua News Agency photo (Zeng Hui, photographer)

The University of California, Los Angeles has not yet responded to the allegations by the Department of Justice.

Earlier on the 29th, the University of California, Los Angeles reached a settlement agreement with three Jewish students and one Jewish professor, agreeing to pay $6.13 million in settlement funds. The latter had previously filed a lawsuit against the university, claiming that the university had allowed pro-Palestinian protesters to block them from entering classrooms and other areas of the campus in 2024, infringing on their civil rights. The university previously stated that it was committed to maintaining campus safety and would continue to enforce its regulations.

Columbia and Harvard Compromise Successively

Since President Trump took office in January, he has required top American universities such as Harvard University and Columbia University to adjust their policies to eliminate "anti-Semitism" and abolish admissions policies that favor minority groups. If these universities do not adjust their policies, they will face consequences such as cuts in federal funding.

Columbia University announced on the 23rd that it had reached an agreement with the federal government, agreeing to pay over $200 million in settlement funds to end multiple federal investigations and restore federal government funding for the university's research. According to AFP, Columbia's move to implement reform measures to regain federal funding has caused dissatisfaction among students on campus.

Harvard University has been resisting the U.S. government, filing two lawsuits against the government's actions of freezing federal funds and preventing the university from enrolling international students. However, according to a report by The New York Times on the 28th citing four informed sources, as negotiations deepened, the government demanded Harvard pay $500 million to resolve the dispute, and Harvard has expressed willingness to comply.

However, one of the informed sources revealed that Harvard is unwilling to directly pay the federal government, and both sides are still discussing specific financial terms.

In addition, on the 29th, Harvard University sent an email to its faculty stating that earlier this month, the university received inspection notices and related subpoenas from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, requiring the examination of I-9 forms and supporting documents for employees.

According to information on the website of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, part of the Department of Homeland Security, the I-9 form is used to verify the identity and employment authorization of workers in the United States.

Harvard University stated that federal regulations grant the government the power to review documents of U.S. employers, including employment eligibility information, and the university will comply with the government's audit requirements, submitting employment records of thousands of employees. However, due to privacy protection considerations, the university will temporarily not share information about individuals in positions only open to students.

The U.S. government also announced on the 28th that it would investigate Duke University and the Duke Law Review, accusing them of favoring minority groups. On the 29th, the government informed Duke University that its $109 million in federal funds had been frozen. Duke University has not yet responded.

According to a previous report by the Associated Press, over $2 billion in federal funds for several top U.S. universities, including Cornell University, Northwestern University, Brown University, and Princeton University, have also been frozen. (Reporters: Liu Xi, Liu Jiang, Guo Qian)

Source: CCTV News

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7533084680183120418/

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