The US Department of Education announced on Monday that it is investigating 60 colleges and universities, mainly those whose students established pro-Palestine encampments throughout the Israeli war on Gaza, over allegations of antisemitic harassment and discrimination, marking an escalation in the administration’s crackdown on campus demonstrations.

The move comes after US President Donald Trump threatened last week to withdraw federal funding from institutions accused of allowing "illegal protests" on campus.

On Friday, his administration stripped Columbia University of approximately $400 million in federal grants and contracts, citing what it called the university’s "continued inaction" in addressing alleged harassment of Jewish students.

The US House Committee on Education and the Workforce demanded in February that Columbia University submit disciplinary records by the end of this month for students involved in anti-"Israel" protests between April and January 2024, criticizing the Ivy League institution’s handling of the matter.

On Monday, the Education Department sent warning letters to 60 universities, including Ivy League institutions and schools within the University of California system, emphasizing their obligation under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students.

The department claimed that all 60 universities are under investigation for alleged violations related to "antisemitic harassment and discrimination."

"The Department is deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite US campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the relentless antisemitic eruptions that have severely disrupted campus life for more than a year. University leaders must do better," said newly confirmed Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.

She added that US colleges and universities receive significant public funding, which is "a privilege" contingent on strict compliance with federal anti-discrimination laws.

'Shalom, Mahmoud': The un-American arrest of Mahmoud Khalil

Trump's crackdown on pro-Palestine students continues to spark significant backlash, particularly after Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent figure in the university’s protest movement against the Israeli genocide in Gaza, was arrested by immigration officials over the weekend.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the arrest was carried out "in support of President Trump's executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism, and in coordination with the Department of State." 

Khalil, a Columbia graduate, was a legal permanent resident at the time of his arrest, according to the Student Workers of Columbia union. 

The arrest has drawn sharp criticism from civil rights advocates and international organizations. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) condemned the move as "unprecedented, illegal, and un-American." 

"The government's actions are obviously intended to intimidate and chill speech on one side of a public debate," said Ben Wizner, director of the ACLU's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. 

The White House's official X account made a post that said, "SHALOM, MAHMOUD," before quoting Trump's statement on the arrest.

In his statement, Trump suggested that further action would be taken against other campus protesters, claiming—without providing evidence—that some were "paid agitators." 

"We will find, apprehend, and deport these terrorist sympathizers from our country—never to return again," he wrote. 

Read more: Columbia alumni group push for pro-Palestine student deportations