Columbia Univ violated civil rights of Jewish students: Trump admin

NEW YORK: The Trump administration is accusing Columbia University of violating the civil rights of Jewish students by "acting with deliberate indifference" toward what it describes as rampant anti-semitism on campus.

The finding was announced late Thursday by the health and human services (HHS) department, marking the latest blow for an Ivy League school already shaken by federal cutbacks and sustained govt pressure to crack down on student speech.

The civil rights division of HHS said it had found Columbia in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which blocks federal funding recipients from discrimination based on race, colour or national origin. That final category, the release said, includes "discrimination against individuals that is based on their actual or perceived Israeli or Jewish identity or ancestry."

The announcement did not include new sanctions against Columbia, which is already facing $400 million in federal cuts by the Trump administration over its response to pro-Palestinian campus protests.

A Columbia spokesperson said the university is currently in negotiations with govt about resolving its claims of anti-semitism.