Donald Trump notched a political win in his administration’s antisemitism crackdown as UC Berkeley agreed to provide federal officials with the names of more than 100 students, faculty, and staff tied to reports of alleged antisemitism on campus.
The university said in a statement that it notified about 160 people on September 4 that they were named in documents provided to the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.
Why It Matters
The disclosure underscores the growing tension between universities’ commitments to free speech and their legal obligations under federal civil rights law.
For Trump and his allies, Berkeley’s compliance represents a political victory in their push to crack down on antisemitism in higher education, adding pressure on other universities facing similar investigations.
However, critics say turning over names to the federal government risks chilling speech and undermines Berkeley’s reputation as the birthplace of the free speech movement.
The outcome of this battle could reshape how colleges nationwide balance protecting students from harassment with preserving academic freedom.
Eric Risberg/AP
What To Know
UC Berkeley said it was instructed by the University of California‘s Office of the General Counsel to comply with federal demands for records on how it handles antisemitism complaints, providing “numerous documents” to the Education Department in recent months.
The university said it notified those accused of antisemitic incidents, individuals affected by them, and the people who had filed the complaints.
The disclosure comes as the Education Department investigates Berkeley and four other schools over their handling of antisemitism, following a July congressional hearing where Chancellor Rich Lyons was pressed by Republicans for not doing enough to combat the issue.
Lyons testified at the time that Berkeley has “a solemn obligation to protect our community from discrimination and harassment, while also upholding the First Amendment right to free speech.”
The decision by the university to comply with the Trump administration has seen backlash from alumni and students. Publisher Steve Wasserman told The New York Times his alma mater had betrayed Berkeley’s legacy as “the cradle of the free speech movement” in the 1960s.
“Lyons’ public statements before Congress seem to suggest a certain resilience and a certain desire to do the right thing. But apparently when push came to shove, they secretly shared 160 names with the Trump administration,” said Mr. Wasserman.
UC Berkeley Students for Justice in Palestine took to Instagram this week, posting: “It is obvious that the department of education and UC Berkeley are using the very office meant to protect civil rights as a trojan horse to silence anyone who condemns the genocide of the Palestinian people.”
University officials said there are legal limits to how much they can resist government demands, according to The New York Times. The University of California stressed that, as a public university, it is subject to state and federal oversight, adding it “is committed to protecting the privacy of our students, faculty, and staff to the greatest extent possible, while fulfilling its legal obligations.”
The Bay Area chapter of the American Jewish Committee, which describes itself a global advocacy group for the Jewish people, said all students have the right to feel safe on campus.
“AJC research has shown 40 percent of American Jews aged 18 to 29 have been the target of antisemitism in the last year, and for college students, 35 percent of them report experiencing antisemitism at least one time on a college campus,” Seth Brysk from American Jewish Committee, told ABC7.
In his second term, the Trump administration has attempted to force change and cut federal funding at universities that he says have become hotbeds of liberalism and antisemitism.
Harvard University has borne the brunt of the crackdown. The White House canceled about $100 million in federal contracts, froze $3.2 billion in research funding, and sought to block the university from enrolling international students.
Officials also demanded reforms to admissions and oversight of course content and threatened to remove its tax-exempt status. The unprecedented measures triggered a wave of protests on campus and drew comparisons to Cold War-era loyalty tests.
The Trump administration has also cut off money to other elite colleges, including Columbia, the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell, over issues including the handling of pro-Palestinian activism and transgender athletes’ participation in women’s sports.
And UC Berkeley is among the 10 universities that a Trump administration task force on antisemitism has identified for particular attention.
Harvard has framed the government’s demands as a threat to the autonomy that the Supreme Court has long granted American universities.
What People Are Saying
In a statement, a UC Berkeley spokesperson said: “Last week, we issued notices to individuals whose names were included in the documents. We are committed to transparency and supporting our campus community while complying with federal investigations.”
What Happens Next
It’s unclear where the federal probe will go, and what consequences it may bring.
