Lankford Calls on Biden Admin to Protect Jewish Students from Pro-Hamas, Antisemitic Mobs

WASHINGTON, DC – Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Tom Cotton (R-AR), along with their Senate Republican colleagues, sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, urging them to restore order to campuses that have been effectively shut down by antisemitic mobs that are targeting Jewish students. The Senators requested Attorney General Garland and Secretary Cardona provide an update on efforts to protect Jewish students by Wednesday, April 24.

“You need to take action to restore order and protect Jewish students on our college campuses. President Biden issued a statement on Sunday, purporting to condemn the outbreak of antisemitism. If that statement was serious, it must be accompanied by immediate action from your departments,” the Senators wrote.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), John Barrasso (R-WY), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Katie Britt (R-AL), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), John Cornyn (R-TX), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Steve Daines (R-MT), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Josh Hawley (R-MO), John Hoeven (R-ND), Ron Johnson (R-WI), John Kennedy (R-LA), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Jim Risch (R-ID), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Rick Scott (R-FL), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), John Thune (R-SD), and Thom Tillis (R-NC) co-signed the letter.

Lankford is co-chair of the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism. He introduced the Antisemitism Awareness Act to address antisemitic sentiment on college campuses and the Countering Antisemitism Act to take historic action to counter antisemitism in the United States. He recently made a trip to Israel where he visited towns in Israel that border the Gaza strip, toured Kibbutz Nir Oz, met with the survivors and families of the hostages of the October 7 massacre, visited the Nova Festival site and spent a day along the border with Lebanon. 

Full text of the letter may be found here and below:

Dear Attorney General Garland and Secretary Cardona,

We write regarding the outbreak of antisemitic, pro-terrorist mobs on college campuses. These pro-Hamas rioters have effectively shut down college campuses and have literally chased Jewish students away from our schools. The Department of Education and federal law enforcement must act immediately to restore order, prosecute the mobs who have perpetuated violence and threats against Jewish students, revoke the visas of all foreign nationals (such as exchange students) who have taken part in promoting terrorism, and hold accountable school administrators who have stood by instead of protecting their students.

Anti-Israel protestors, spurred on by prominent leftists, have gathered on college campuses in recent days, chanting antisemitic slogans and directly threatening Jewish students. The situation has so devolved that a prominent Jewish rabbi at Columbia University urged Jewish students to flee campus and stay away for their own safety. Columbia University has been one of the most public examples, but violence and threats against Jewish students have also been committed at other so-called “elite” universities in recent days. For example, at Yale University, a Jewish student journalist was reportedly attacked over the weekend by a pro-Hamas mob while attempting to film a protest. 

You need to take action to restore order and protect Jewish students on our college campuses. President Biden issued a statement on Sunday, purporting to condemn the outbreak of antisemitism. If that statement was serious, it must be accompanied by immediate action from your departments.

Rioting violates federal law. Violence or attempted violence against anyone because of their Jewish heritage violates federal law. School administrators’ failure to protect Jewish students from discrimination or harassment violates federal law and is grounds for those schools losing access to federal funds. Espousing support for terrorists such as Hamas violates federal immigration law and is grounds for deportation. Please provide our offices with an update on your efforts to enforce these and related laws on college campuses as soon as practicable, but in any event not later than 5:00PM on Wednesday, April 24.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this important matter.

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