Trump cuts hamstring Education Department's civil rights investigations

The Trump administration has significantly reduced the Department of Education's capacity to investigate civil rights complaints. Over 1,900 employees have been laid off or left, including 243 from the civil rights office, which has seen regional offices cut from 12 to five. Despite these cuts, the administration is focusing on campus antisemitism. It has warned 60 colleges of potential prosecution for failing to protect Jewish students and has withdrawn $400 million in federal funding from Columbia University for similar reasons. Additionally, the administration has used immigration enforcement to target activists. Recent arrests, such as that of Columbia graduate Mahmoud Khalil, are part of a broader strategy to address campus antisemitism, with claims that such activism poses risks to U.S. foreign policy.