WASHINGTON — The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) reported on Wednesday that the Trump administration has frozen nearly $584 million in federal funding, following disputes over how the university handled recent pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
The freeze comes amid broader federal scrutiny of universities that hosted large protests criticizing Israel’s military actions in Gaza. The administration claims that schools like UCLA failed to adequately address incidents of antisemitism that allegedly occurred during these protests.
UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk shared in an official update that the university currently faces the suspension of around $584 million in external funding, which remains at risk due to ongoing federal action.
While many protesters, including Jewish advocacy groups, defended their actions as legitimate criticism of Israel’s policies, the administration argues that such demonstrations crossed the line into antisemitism. Protesters say the government is wrongly equating criticism of Israel with hate speech and mischaracterizing advocacy for Palestinian rights as extremist behavior.
University of California President James Milliken acknowledged that the system has entered discussions with federal officials in hopes of reinstating the suspended funds. “Cutting funding does not help in addressing antisemitism,” Milliken stated.
The White House has not issued a comment on the situation.
This situation follows UCLA’s recent $6 million settlement in a lawsuit filed by students and a faculty member, claiming the university failed to adequately respond to incidents of antisemitism. The institution is also entangled in another legal case connected to a 2024 violent attack on pro-Palestinian protesters, which took place during the peak of campus-wide demonstrations across the country.
Meanwhile, other universities have reached settlements with the federal government: Columbia University will pay more than $220 million, and Brown University has agreed to a $50 million payment. Both schools have agreed to certain federal conditions. Negotiations with Harvard University are reportedly still ongoing.
Free speech and civil rights advocates have voiced concern about the chilling effect these measures could have on academic freedom and student activism.
The administration has also made efforts to deport international students involved in Gaza-related protests. However, these attempts have faced legal pushback. In response, Stanford University’s student newspaper filed a lawsuit against the government, alleging that student journalists self-censored coverage related to Gaza out of fear of deportation.
Critics have also pointed out that while the government has focused on antisemitism, there has been no comparable effort to investigate Islamophobia or anti-Arab discrimination, both of which have reportedly increased amid the ongoing conflict.
