UC Berkeley shares information on 160 staff, students with US government

The University of California (UC), Berkeley in the United States has provided information on more than 150 faculty members and students to President Donald Trump’s administration, as part of a federal investigation into “alleged incidents of anti-Semitism” on college campuses nationwide.

UC Berkeley said on Friday the names of the 160 students, faculty and staff were sent to the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, and affected members of the campus were notified by the institution last week.

It added the Education Department launched an investigation several months ago into its handling of complaints related to “alleged incidents of anti-Semitism” and demanded documentation.

The office of the president of the University of California said the institution is subject to oversight by federal and state agencies and that its campuses, like UC Berkeley, “routinely receive document requests in connection with government audits, compliance reviews, or investigations”.

“UC is committed to protecting the privacy of our students, faculty, and staff to the greatest extent possible, while fulfilling its legal obligations,” a spokesperson of the office of the UC president added.

The government had no immediate comment.

Since taking office for a second term, Trump has threatened federal funding cuts for universities over pro-Palestinian student protests held last spring. The government alleges universities allowed anti-Semitism during the protests.

Pro-Palestinian protesters, including some Jewish groups, say the government wrongly equates their criticism of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and its occupation of Palestinian territory with anti-Semitism, and their advocacy for Palestinian rights with support for extremism.

Experts have raised free speech, due process and academic freedom concerns over the Republican president’s threats. Trump has also attempted to deport foreign pro-Palestinian student protesters but has faced legal hurdles.

A graduate student who wished to remain anonymous told local newspaper Berkeleyside that “the names targeted seem to be Muslim and Arab individuals who expressed support for Palestine.”

Among those listed is feminist philosopher Judith Butler, who has said her Jewish upbringing led her to speak out against Israel through the human rights organisation Jewish Voice for Peace.

Butler told the San Francisco Chronicle that UC’s compliance with the government’s investigation has “echoes of McCarthyism”.

“Forwarding such names, a well-known practice from the McCarthy Era, may well subject a number of faculty, staff, or students named to widespread surveillance constitutes a breathtaking breach of trust, ethics, and justice,” Butler wrote in a letter to UC Berkeley’s campus lawyer.

The Trump administration in July settled its investigations with Columbia University, which agreed to pay more than $220m, and Brown University, which said it will pay $50m. Both accepted certain government demands. Settlement talks with Harvard University are ongoing.

The Trump administration has also faced judicial roadblocks in its drive to freeze federal funding.

The government had proposed to settle its probe into the University of California, Los Angeles – another UC campus – through a $1bn payment from the university. California Governor Gavin Newsom dismissed that offer, calling it an extortion attempt.