Trump Seeks $1 Billion UCLA Settlement Over Antisemitism Claims/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ The Trump administration is demanding $1 billion from UCLA after accusing the university of antisemitism and civil rights violations. Federal funding for the public institution has been frozen, intensifying a high-profile standoff between Washington and California. Governor Gavin Newsom calls the move political retaliation against a leading public university system.
UCLA Settlement Dispute Quick Looks
- DOJ finding accuses UCLA of antisemitism and civil rights violations.
- Trump administration freezes $584 million in federal grants.
- Proposed settlement amount: $1 billion — unprecedented for a public university.
- Governor Newsom says demand is political “extortion.”
- Similar deals struck with Brown ($50M) and Columbia ($221M).
- UCLA protests in 2024 central to DOJ allegations.
- University leaders warn payout would devastate research and education.
Trump Seeks Record $1 Billion Settlement from UCLA Over Antisemitism
Deep Look
The Trump administration is seeking a $1 billion settlement from the University of California, Los Angeles, after federal investigators accused the school of fostering antisemitism and violating civil rights protections, a White House official confirmed Friday. The demand marks the largest known financial penalty sought against a public university in U.S. history over such allegations.
The dispute stems from a July 29 Department of Justice Civil Rights Division finding that UCLA violated the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by:
“acting with deliberate indifference in creating a hostile educational environment for Jewish and Israeli students.”
Funding Freeze and Negotiation Tactics
As part of the enforcement action, the administration froze $584 million in federal grants to UCLA, crippling its access to critical research funds. UCLA is the first public university to face a blanket funding freeze under President Donald Trump’s civil rights enforcement drive, which has already targeted elite private institutions.
Recent settlements with Brown University ($50 million) and Columbia University ($221 million) reflect the administration’s strategy of leveraging federal funding to compel reforms at institutions it accuses of harboring antisemitism and politically biased environments. Harvard University remains in protracted negotiations with the White House over an even larger potential settlement.
The White House official, speaking anonymously, would not detail additional conditions beyond the $1 billion figure, but higher-education observers see the amount as politically motivated.
Political and Legal Fallout
University of California President James B. Milliken warned that such a payout would devastate the system’s finances, harming both students and the state.
“A payment of this scale would completely devastate our country’s greatest public university system as well as inflict great harm on our students and all Californians,” he said, pledging to review the DOJ’s findings and seek dialogue.
California Governor Gavin Newsom accused Trump of attempting to suppress academic freedom and punish a political adversary.
“He has threatened us through extortion with a billion-dollar fine unless we do his bidding,” Newsom said, vowing that California would not follow the example of other institutions that have quickly settled.
Peter McDonough, general counsel for the American Council on Education, suggested the political context was undeniable:
“Of course it’s influenced by the fact that UCLA sits within the California system and the California system sits within the state of California.”
Roots in 2024 Protest Controversy
The DOJ’s case draws heavily on UCLA’s handling of pro-Palestinian encampments during the Israel-Hamas war protests of 2024. One night, counterprotesters attacked the encampment with pepper spray and makeshift projectiles, injuring over a dozen before police intervened. The following day, over 200 demonstrators were arrested after refusing orders to disperse.
Jewish students later reported being physically blocked from accessing campus areas by protesters. Critics accused UCLA of failing to protect their rights, while the university argued it had no legal responsibility for protester actions and had cooperated with law enforcement to prevent further encampments.
Previous Legal Settlement
Just last week, UCLA agreed to pay $6 million to settle a lawsuit brought by three Jewish students and a Jewish professor over the 2024 protest incidents. The deal included $2.3 million earmarked for organizations combatting antisemitism and initiatives supporting UCLA’s Jewish community.
UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk, whose family history includes fleeing Nazi persecution, launched an antisemitism and anti-Israel bias initiative in parallel with the settlement. The university also created systemwide protest guidelines and an Office of Campus and Community Safety.
A federal judge had previously ordered UCLA to develop a plan to ensure safe access for Jewish students, signaling the judiciary’s dissatisfaction with the school’s earlier approach.
National Strategy Against Higher Education
The Trump administration has framed its actions as necessary to combat antisemitism and address alleged discrimination against white and Asian American students within diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Critics see it as part of a broader ideological campaign against what Trump calls “liberal bias” in higher education.
The Columbia settlement last month is being treated as a template for other universities, combining financial penalties with restored federal funding and mandated reforms. However, the $1 billion figure for UCLA is unprecedented — and, according to California officials, punitive.
Negotiations between UCLA and the administration could set a precedent for how far the federal government can go in imposing financial penalties on public institutions over civil rights disputes. Whether the case ends in court or in a settlement, the outcome will likely reverberate far beyond California, influencing how universities nationwide manage campus speech, protest, and political tension.
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