NEW YORK (WABC) — Columbia University allegedly violated federal civil rights law by “acting with deliberate indifference towards student-on-student harassment of Jewish students” since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights.

In the release, the Trump administration says Columbia University violated Title VI, which prohibits those receiving federal financial assistance from discriminating in its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, or national origin — including discrimination against individuals based on their actual or perceived Israeli or Jewish identity or ancestry.

The notice of violation, issued jointly by the HHS and U.S. Department of Education, “articulates extensive factual findings that span a period of over 19 months in which the University continually failed to protect Jewish students,” the government said in its announcement. “The findings are based on information and documents obtained during the investigation, including witness interviews; examination of written policies and procedures; reliable media reports that contemporaneously capture antisemitic incidents and events at Columbia University; and reports from Columbia University’s own Task Force on Antisemitism.”

“The findings carefully document the hostile environment Jewish students at Columbia University have had to endure for over 19 months, disrupting their education, safety, and well-being,” said Anthony Archeval, Acting Director of the Office for Civil Rights at HHS. “We encourage Columbia University to work with us to come to an agreement that reflects meaningful changes that will truly protect Jewish students.

The government said that Columbia University failed to take several actions, including failing to establish effective reporting mechanisms for antisemitism until the summer of 2024, failure to abide by its own policies and procedures when responding to Jewish students’ complaints as well as governing misconduct against Jewish students and not investigating or punishing vandalism in its classrooms.

“We understand this finding is part of our ongoing discussions with the government. Columbia is deeply committed to combatting antisemitism and all forms of harassment and discrimination on our campus,” Columbia University said in a statement of Friday morning. “We take these issues seriously and will work with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education to address them.”

This is Trump administration’s latest action taken against prominent universities. On Thursday, the Trump administration barred Harvard University from allowing international students to enroll at the university — a move the university said is not legal — because they have “turned their once-great institution into a hotbed of anti-American, anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist agitators,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said.

Meanwhile, Columbia University Acting President Claire Shipman on Wednesday gave a commencement speech acknowledging the absence of student activist Mahmoud Khalil, who was due to receive his diploma this week but is instead in a Louisiana jail facing deportation for his role in pro-Palestinian campus protests.

“We firmly believe that our international students have the same rights to freedom of speech as everyone else and they should not be targeted by the government for exercising this right,” Shipman said, adding: “I know many in our community are mourning the absence of our graduate Mahmoud Khalil.”

The brief address drew loud boos and chants of “free Palestine” from some graduating students. Shipman also alluded to the crackdown on foreign students by the Trump administration that has roiled the Ivy League school in recent months.