Trump administration threatens Columbia University's accreditation

The Trump administration is looking to strip Columbia University of its accreditation over claims it violated the civil rights of its Jewish students.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a letter that the New York City college "acted with deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students" in a manner that violated federal anti-discrimination laws.

US President Donald Trump has condemned Columbia and other US universities, arguing they have failed to protect Jewish students amid the war in Gaza and anti-war protests that took place on US campuses.

US accreditors play a key role in determining which universities are allowed to access billions of dollars in federal funding.

"Accreditors have an enormous public responsibility as gatekeepers of federal student aid," McMahon wrote in a letter on Wednesday, calling Columbia's actions "immoral" and "unlawful".

The letter informs the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which oversees Columbia, that Columbia "no longer appears to meet the Commissions accreditation standards" by its alleged violation of anti-discrimination laws.

It argues that the leadership of Columbia "failed to meaningfully protect Jewish students against severe and pervasive harassment on Columbia's campus and consequently denied these students' equal access to educational opportunities to which they are entitled under the law".

The Middle States organisation is one of several independent accreditors that the government uses to determine how to allocate education department funds.

Columbia University has yet to comment on the latest development.

The move comes as Trump continues his crackdown on higher education institutions. He also recently signed an order that changes the university accreditation process.

In February, the Trump administration stripped Columbia of $400m in federal funding, alleging antisemitism at the campus.

Columbia followed up by enacting campus rule changes demanded by the White House, including the re-organisation of its Middle Eastern studies department.

The move was meant to appease the White House, but the deal appears to have had little impact.

The White House also accused other universities of antisemitism, most notably Harvard University, which is locked in legal battles with the Trump administration over its government funding and the administration attempting to block its ability to accept international students.

The letter from McMahon suggests that other universities' accreditation may also be at risk.

"The Department has an obligation to promptly provide accreditors with any noncompliance findings related to member institutions," McMahon writes.