Anti-Israel Protests: GOP Senators Urge Biden Admin to Restore Order on Campuses

Pro-Palestinian students and activists camp out on the campus of Columbia University in New York City, on April 19, 2024. Alex Kent / AFP

GOP senators have called on the Biden administration to restore order to campuses and protect Jewish students amid ongoing anti-Israel demonstrations at multiple universities.

In a letter dated April 23, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and 26 other Senate Republicans demanded Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona act to ensure the safety of Jewish students.

“You need to take action to restore order and protect Jewish students on our college campuses. President Biden issued a statement on Sunday, purporting to condemn the outbreak of anti-Semitism. If that statement was serious, it must be accompanied by immediate action from your departments,” the letter read.

The letter comes at a time when pro-Palestine protests have erupted at multiple universities, with encampments on campus in response to Israel’s military action against Hamas in Gaza. The protests first broke out at Columbia University on April 17, then spread to New York University, Yale University, and others.

On April 18, New York police arrested more than 100 pro-Palestine protesters on Columbia University’s campus. Protesters resumed their demonstrations the next day despite mass suspensions and arrests.

In the letter, the senators cited Columbia University as an example, referring to an incident where an Orthodox Rabbi at Columbia University and Barnard College sent a WhatsApp message to nearly 300 Jewish students on Sunday, urging them to go home for their safety.

The senators raised concerns about anti-Semitism on college campuses and urged Mr. Garland and Ms. Cardona to take swift action to resolve these problems.

“The Department of Education and federal law enforcement must act immediately to restore order, prosecute the mobs who have perpetuated violence and threats against Jewish students, revoke the visas of all foreign nationals (such as exchange students) who have taken part in promoting terrorism, and hold accountable school administrators who have stood by instead of protecting their students,” the senators wrote.

In response to the ongoing protests at Columbia University, on April 22, all New York GOP members of Congress demanded that the university’s president resign immediately for failing to enforce school policies “to ensure students have a safe learning environment.”

The senators also noted that the protesters violated multiple federal laws, such as rioting, supporting terrorist groups, and failing to protect Jewish students against discrimination and harassment. They asked Mr. Garland and Ms. Cardona to provide updates on the enforcement of these laws by April 24.

Previously, Sen. Cotton, on April 22, called on President Joe Biden to deploy the National Guard to Columbia University, saying, “The nascent pogroms at Columbia have to stop TODAY, before our Jewish brethren sit for Passover Seder tonight. If Eric Adams won’t send the NYPD and Kathy Hochul won’t send the National Guard, Joe Biden has a duty to take charge and break up these mobs.”

The consulate general of Israel in New York on April 24 denounced the protests and anti-Semitic sentiment in U.S colleges. “We are deeply troubled and strongly condemn the recent rise in anti-Semitic incidents at institutions such as Columbia University and NYU, where Jewish, Israeli, and pro-Israeli students are targeted and denied a safe educational environment. Such acts contravene free speech principles and have no place in academia,” it said in a post on social media platform X.

“These manifestations of hate are unacceptable. Institutional leaders must urgently address and correct these behaviors. Recent events have been overlooked for too long without significant intervention, which is now [more] crucial than ever for the safety and well-being of all students.”

Earlier, President Biden issued a statement condemning the situation in a message for Passover, a Jewish holiday that starts on April 22.

In the statement, the president spoke out against an “alarming surge of anti-Semitism” in U.S. schools, communities, and online. “This blatant anti-Semitism is reprehensible and dangerous, and it has absolutely no place on college campuses or anywhere in our country,” the president said.

“My administration will continue to speak out and aggressively implement the first-ever National Strategy to Counter Anti-Semitism, putting the full force of the federal government behind protecting the Jewish community,” he added.

Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday also condemned the protests, calling them “a disgrace to our country.” “What’s going on at the college level and the colleges — Columbia, NYU and others — is a disgrace,” he said.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported 8,873 incidents of anti-Semitism in the United States in 2023, marking a 140 percent increase. The figure represents the highest level recorded since the ADL began collecting data in 1979.