An executive order signed by President Donald Trump and released on Wednesday, Jan. 29 calls for Princeton and other universities to “monitor” and “report activities by alien students and staff” for actions that constitute antisemitism.
The executive order gives various federal agencies — including the Department of Education — 60 days to create a list of all cases involving a university alleging civil rights violations related to antisemitism that occurred following the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. A Title IV case related to antisemitism at Princeton was opened by the Department of Education in January 2024, referencing chants at pro-Palestine protests in October 2023.
Last spring saw the rise of a national protest movement against the war in Gaza, culminating in several high-profile protests, including a sustained “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” at Princeton. A sit-in at Clio Hall resulted in the arrests of 13 Princeton affiliates, whose cases are still ongoing.
The order itself does not explicitly call for the revocation of student visas for protest participants. However, it does direct institutions to ensure that reports of antisemitism “lead, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to investigations and, if warranted, actions to remove” international students whose acts constituted antisemitism. Trump also vowed in a fact sheet distributed with the order that he would “quickly cancel the student visas of all Hamas sympathizers on college campuses,” a move that would likely draw legal challenges.
The University does not maintain a definition of antisemitism in its nondiscrimination statement or equal opportunity policy. A proposed undergraduate referendum in 2022 to adopt a controversial definition from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) did not have enough support to reach the ballot. At the time, members of the Undergraduate Student Government raised concerns that the definition could chill speech critical of Israel. Harvard University recently adopted the IHRA’s text in a settlement to Title IV investigations, and the definition is also used by the Department of State.
In an interview with The Daily Princetonian, Rabbi Gil Steinlauf ’91, the director of the Center of Jewish Life made a clear distinction between the protests that have occurred on campus and antisemitic actions that the executive order targets.
“We have to be very, very careful to make sure that students who want to engage in free speech have their civil liberties protected, and that any criminal actions should only target those we know are engaging in actual material support of terrorism,” he said. “To my knowledge, that is not a reality on our campus, and we want to keep it that way.”
While he has reservations about how the executive order will be enforced, Steinlauf praised the acknowledgement of antisemitism as a key concern of the new administration.
“I think it’s important that there is a strong statement that there is not a place for antisemitism or any other kind of hatred,” he told the ‘Prince.’
Associate Director for International Students at the Davis International Center (Davis IC) Regina George deferred comment to University Communications.
“Students and staff who want to discuss their visa status should schedule an appointment with their Davis IC advisor. Additional resources are available for students through [Counseling and Psychological Services] CPS and staff through Carebridge,” University spokesperson Jennifer Morrill wrote to the ‘Prince.’
The University did not address a question about how it would ensure students’ rights to freely express their beliefs, with Morrill referring the ‘Prince’ to the State of the University letter sent by University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 on Wednesday.
In the letter, Eisgruber wrote, “I recognize that antisemitism is rising in this country and on college campuses; that is unacceptable, and we must respond vigorously.”
He added that, while he will “try to avoid online posts or campus-wide e-mail messages about public affairs or world tragedies” moving forward, he plans to “continue to speak up vigorously and often for the values of this University, including … free speech, diversity, and inclusion.”
The act is the latest in a string of actions made by the Trump administration that impact higher education, including an executive order to investigate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs for universities with large endowments, a temporary freeze on National Institute of Health grant reviews, and a memo that appeared to freeze all federal funding for research before it was ultimately reversed.
Vitus Larrieu is a senior News writer for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Pensacola, Fla. and typically covers community activism, national higher education, and construction and architecture.
Cynthia Torres contributed reporting.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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