Tipsheet

Trump to Defund Schools Allowing 'Illegal Protests'

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  March 04, 2025 11:15 AM

Pro-Hamas campus protests have truly gotten out of control following the attack against Israel on October 7, 2023. It hasn't just been under the Biden-Harris administration, but also under Trump's new administration as well. Now, President Donald Trump has made it clear he's not messing around with what he terms "illegal protests" and the institutions that allow for them.

"All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests. Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on on the crime, arrested," Trump made clear in a Truth Social post. "NO MASKS! Thank you for your attention to this matter."

As the president's post makes clear, agitators will be imprisoned and could also be deported. American students will also be expelled, which universities have seemed hesitant to do, and could also be arrested. Trump makes clear that deportations and expulsions will be "permanent."

Although the president doesn't reference protests to do with the Israel-Hamas conflict, such events would certainly qualify. Last week, Barnard College was overtaken by pro-Hamas agitators and terrorist sympathizers who took over campus for several hours. A worker was even assaulted and sent to the hospital. Students were allowed to rage for hours, with police not even arriving until late in the evening. Students not only wore keffiyehs, which have been a symbol of terrorist sympathizers, but masks, which Trump makes clear in his post will not be allowed. 

Barnard is the all-women sister school of Columbia University, which itself has had plenty of problems with pro-Hamas agitators and sympathizers.

The New York Post offered more details about the timing of the announcement, including how Columbia may be affected:

The threat also comes a day after his administration vowed to pull more than $50 million in government contracts from Columbia University due to the Ivy League school’s alleged inaction on clamping down on anti-Israel protests.

Federal officials also said they were reviewing more than $5 billion in federal grant commitments tied to the Big Apple university to ensure the rights of Jewish students were being met.

The looming warning comes after Trump formed the Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism when he first took back the White House in January in a bid to fight back against vile hate being carried out on college campuses.

Columbia said it was reviewing the federal government’s warning and hoped to work with the White House to fight antisemitism.

“Columbia is fully committed to combatting antisemitism and all forms of discrimination, and we are resolute that calling for, promoting, or glorifying violence or terror has no place at our University,” the school said in a statement late Monday.

The announcement was well received and became a trending topic over X for Tuesday morning. 

In the first few days of his presidency, Trump signed executive orders that could ultimately lead to the deportation of pro-Hamas agitators on college campuses. Just over a week into his second term, Trump also signed an executive order directing the Department of Justice to investigate pro-Hamas activity, which includes on college campuses. Such an order also called for deportation, including those who have the privilege of being here on student visas. 

On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will also hold a hearing on antisemitism, "Never To Be Silent: Stemming the Tide of Antisemitism in America."