A senior Trump administration official confirmed that following the murder of two Israeli embassy staff in Washington, the US government was planning on intensifying the fight against campus antisemitism.
Leo Terrell, Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the United States Justice Department, told N12 on Thursday that the administration plans to increase the presence of law enforcement on campuses, expedite and intensify the deportation of international students who take part in antisemitic activities, and tighten economic sanctions against universities.
Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, staff members at the Israeli embassy, were murdered outside the Jewish Museum in Washington on Wednesday night
"We are going to intensify all our activities. We will go after the instigators on campuses, and those here on student visas - goodbye. You are here by grace, if you create chaos, crime or discrimination against Jews, you will find yourself out. As for the universities, expect more federal funds to be withdrawn, or all federal funding to be withheld. All of it!" Terrell told N12.
The crackdown on antisemitism will also see, for the first time, lawsuits launched against universities that fail to protect their Jewish students and staff.
"This is a big step - we are in the process of filing lawsuits against universities for violating the Civil Rights Act towards Jews. We have large lawsuits in preparation, and we need to file them immediately. Our strategy is to file the lawsuits first, and then reach agreements. We are increasing the pace of lawsuits," Terrell shared.Terrell also revealed that during past interviews, he had been probed on whether the Trump administration was being too tough on antisemitism - an accusation he categorically denied, given the growing severity and the two murders in Washington yesterday.
Terrell added, "This is a tragic case. This is not going to end in two days. This is bigger than the deaths of two Jewish-Israelis, and it must provoke us to action because it is far beyond the crazy monster that killed them.
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