Executive Order Mandates Increased Scrutiny and Enforcement Following Hamas Attacks
Washington, D.C. – President Donald Trump has issued an Executive Order strengthening measures to combat anti-Semitism, particularly on college campuses, in the wake of the surge in anti-Jewish hate following the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel. The order, signed on January 29, 2025, reaffirms and expands upon Executive Order 13899, signed in 2019, which aimed to protect Jewish students from discrimination.
The new order acknowledges the “unprecedented wave of vile anti-Semitic discrimination, vandalism, and violence” targeting Jewish citizens, especially students, after the Hamas attacks. It cites instances of denial of access to campus facilities, intimidation, harassment, and physical threats faced by Jewish students. The President emphasized the need to address the “astounding” failure of the Federal Government to adequately combat anti-Semitism and protect Jewish students.
The Executive Order directs all executive departments and agencies to take several key actions:
- Report on Existing Authorities: Within 60 days, each agency head must submit a report to the President detailing all available civil and criminal authorities and actions that could be used to combat anti-Semitism, beyond those already implemented under the 2019 order.
- Inventory of Pending Complaints: Agencies must provide an inventory and analysis of all pending administrative complaints related to post-October 7, 2023, campus anti-Semitism.
- Attorney General Actions: The Attorney General’s report must include an inventory and analysis of relevant court cases and indicate any intended or taken actions, including filing statements of interest or intervention. The order also encourages the Attorney General to utilize appropriate civil rights enforcement authorities, such as 18 U.S.C. 241, to combat anti-Semitism.
- Education Department Oversight: The Secretary of Education’s report must include an inventory and analysis of all Title VI complaints and administrative actions, including in K-12 education, related to anti-Semitism—pending or resolved after October 7, 2023—within the Department’s Office for Civil Rights.
- Information Sharing and Monitoring: The Secretaries of State, Education, and Homeland Security, in consultation, must provide recommendations for educating institutions of higher education about grounds for inadmissibility under 8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(3), enabling them to monitor and report activities by foreign students and staff that could lead to removal.
The order emphasizes the policy of the United States to vigorously combat anti-Semitism using all available legal tools to prosecute and hold accountable those responsible for unlawful anti-Semitic harassment and violence. It also clarifies that the order does not create any new enforceable rights or benefits. The implementation of the order is subject to applicable law and the availability of appropriations.