The Trump administration is demanding a $1 billion settlement from the University of California–Los Angeles, following a Justice Department finding that UCLA systematically allowed antisemitism on campus, particularly during pro‑Palestinian protests. The university also faces a freeze on $584 million in federal research funding.
The proposed settlement would resolve civil rights violations and entail sweeping institutional changes—such as banning overnight protests, requiring protester ID, eliminating race-based scholarships and diversity hiring incentives, ending gender‑affirming care for minors, and imposing restrictions on transgender athletes. It also includes a $172 million fund to address legal claims by affected students and faculty.
University of California President James Milliken warned that the financial burden would be catastrophic, potentially devastating UCLA and harming students across California. Governor Gavin Newsom blasted the proposal as “political extortion” and pledged legal resistance to safeguard academic freedom.
This aggressive demand marks a sharp escalation in the Trump administration’s strategy to reshape higher education through federal funding leverage. It comes amid parallel negotiations with Harvard, Columbia, and Brown following similar allegations. The outcome could redefine the balance between federal oversight and academic autonomy.
