Activists at Cal Poly Humboldt are closely following President Donald Trump’s promised crackdown on anti-semitism at colleges throughout the county.
The administration recently canceled $400 million in federal grants for New York City’s Columbia University, claiming the university violated the Civil Rights Act by not protecting Jewish students.
Columbia was the scene of large pro-Palestinian protests last year. Immigration officers recently arrested a Palestinian activist and former Columbia student who has legal permanent residence in the U.S.
Rick Toledo, a student at Cal Poly Humboldt and organizer with the Students for a Democratic Society chapter there, said the administration’s policies could have a chilling effect in Arcata.
“I do think that there are going to be people who are less likely to get involved out of that fear," Toledo said. "But I also think that there are people who will become more galvanized."
He said his group still has actions planned to protest the Israeli government's role in Gaza, which he said has become a central issue for the chapter. But he’s encouraging foreign students to stay off the frontlines for now.
"Some people will choose that on their own, and that's their decision," Toledo said. "But I think there is a lot of real reasonable fear."
Pro-Palestinian protestors in Arcata occupied university buildings for a week last April, leading to dozens of arrests. The University claimed those occupations resulted in nearly $2 million in damages.
Last month, the Federal Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism announced it would investigate 10 universities for discrimination against Jewish students and faculty. Cal Poly Humboldt is not on that list.
However, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law filed a federal complaint against the college for failing to protect Jewish students during protests.
“Jewish students have been attacked verbally and physically, excluded and forced out of areas on campus they are entitled to access, and subjected to vicious anti-Jewish hate,” according to the complaint.
Trump has signed a new executive order and taken to social media to describe his objectives on college campuses.
“All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests," Trump posted to his Truth Social account on March 4. "Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came."
The president also wrote that American students who committed a crime would be deported or expelled.
