A coalition of organizations representing thousands of colleges and universities signed a statement calling for an end to antisemitism while criticizing recent actions taken by the Trump administration.

Released on Tuesday, the statement was authored by the American Jewish Committee and two higher education groups: the Association of American Universities and the American Council on Education, which represents more than 1,300 institutions, including Binghamton University.

“America’s higher education and Jewish communities share and endorse the Trump Administration’s priority of eradicating antisemitism,” the statement read. “We come together to ask the Administration to pursue this important goal in ways that preserve academic freedom, respect due process, and strengthen the government-campus scientific partnership that has made America stronger, healthier, and safer.”

The American Association of Community Colleges, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities cosigned the statement.

The statement also criticized recent actions taken by the Trump administration in pursuit of this goal. In January, the administration ordered restrictions on the National Institutes of Health, reducing indirect discovery, which was later halted by a temporary restraining order.

“In the name of combating antisemitism, the federal government has recently taken steps that endanger the research grants, academic freedom, and institutional autonomy of America’s higher education sector,” the statement continued. “AJC, the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, believes that when these actions are overly broad, they imperil science and innovation, and ultimately detract from the necessary fight against antisemitism while threatening the global preeminence of America’s research universities and colleges.”

On Jan. 29, President Donald Trump signed an executive order, “Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism,” directing his Cabinet and agency heads to submit a report identifying all legal mechanisms that “might be used to curb or combat anti-Semitism.” The directive also ordered the executive branch to compile a list of all complaints against higher education institutions “related to or arising from post-October 7, 2023, campus anti-Semitism.”

The next day, the White House released a fact sheet indicating that Trump supported revoking student visas for those involved in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. In mid-April, a University spokesperson first confirmed to Pipe Dream that five students at BU saw a change-of-visa status amid a federal crackdown. Around two weeks later, each student had their legal status restored.

“We cannot allow ‘fighting antisemitism’ to be used as an excuse to defund education or unjustly detain anti-genocide protesters,” the Yiddish Bund of Binghamton, an anti-Zionist Jewish group, wrote in a statement. “Antisemitism, anti-intellectualism, capitalism, and colonialism are all intertwined issues; the only way to address one is to dismantle them all.”

On Feb. 3, the Department of Justice formed a multiagency task force to combat antisemitism. In a press release, the Office of Public Affairs stated that “the Task Force’s first priority will be to root out anti-Semitic harassment in schools and on college campuses.”

A few weeks later, the Task Force announced it would meet with 10 universities that allegedly failed to protect Jewish students and faculty from discrimination, including Columbia, Harvard and New York University. On April 14, the Task Force announced a $2.2 billion freeze in grants to Harvard.

One week later, Harvard filed a lawsuit against the administration, arguing the freeze violated the First Amendment and did not follow proper procedure.

In March, the University and 59 other higher education institutions received a letter from the U.S. Department of Education warning of “potential enforcement action” if their obligations to protect Jewish students were not met under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

“The Department is deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite U.S. campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the relentless antisemitic eruptions that have severely disrupted campus life for more than a year,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon after the letters were sent.

The coalition argued the federal government should combat antisemitism through existing antidiscrimination laws, which “allow for vigorous enforcement while providing due process rights.”

A University spokesperson did not return a request for comment.

In April, University President Harvey Stenger signed a different statement opposing “undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses.” While Stenger did not sign when it was first released on April 22, a University spokesperson told Pipe Dream that he later received an invitation to sign and “did so immediately.”

“We welcome today’s statement and are encouraged to see a broad commitment to addressing antisemitism on college campuses from so many stakeholders,” the BU Zionist Organization wrote in a statement. “BUZO remains committed to working with university administration to ensure a safe and inclusive environment for all students in this challenging climate.”