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NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration has issued an extraordinary ultimatum to Columbia University, threatening to permanently cut off federal funding unless the Ivy League institution surrenders control of one of its international studies departments and makes significant changes to various campus policies.
In a letter sent Thursday night, federal officials ordered Columbia to immediately place its Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies Department under “academic receivership” for a minimum of five years.
The university was also instructed to ban the use of masks on campus intended to conceal identities or intimidate others, adopt a new definition of antisemitism, eliminate its current student disciplinary process, and present a plan to reform its undergraduate admissions, international recruitment, and graduate admissions practices.
The letter described these changes as “preconditions” for beginning “formal negotiations regarding Columbia University’s continued financial relationship with the U.S. government.” However, it provided no explanation for targeting the Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies Department or clarifying what the process of “receivership” would involve.
“We expect your immediate compliance with these critical next steps,” wrote officials from the Department of Education, General Services Administration, and Department of Health and Human Services.
This unprecedented move comes as the Trump administration escalates efforts to exert control over academic institutions. On Friday, the Department of Education announced it was investigating over 50 universities, including major public institutions, for alleged racial discrimination.
At the same time, federal immigration authorities have continued to target students for deportation, following the recent arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a well-known Palestinian activist, who is currently being detained in Louisiana for his role in protests at Columbia against the war in Gaza.
In a message to students on Thursday, Columbia officials revealed that agents from the Department of Homeland Security had searched two additional university residences with a warrant that evening. No arrests or detentions were made, according to the university’s interim president, Katrina Armstrong, who expressed being “heartbroken” by the events.
Columbia University has yet to respond to requests for comment regarding the administration’s demands, which have sparked immediate backlash from faculty members and free speech advocates.
“Half of these demands are legally impossible, and the other half are simply absurd,” said Joseph Howley, a professor of classics at Columbia. “If the federal government can force a university to shut down or restructure an academic department, then we no longer have true universities in this country.”
