David Pozen, Ryan Doerfler, and Samuel Bagenstos in The Nation:
The Trump administration’s assault on higher education continues to escalate. The White House has pressured universities into shutting down diversity and equity programs of all sorts, terminated hundreds of millions of dollars in research grants inconsistent with its political agenda, and moved to slash reimbursements for the grants that remain. The Department of Education has opened investigations into more than 60 colleges and universities. Most alarming, the Department of Homeland Security has started sending agents onto campuses across the country to arrest and deport noncitizen students and faculty who have engaged in pro-Palestinian advocacy.
In hindsight, all of this looks predictable. Vice President Vance gave a speech in 2021 titled “The Universities Are the Enemy.” The Heritage Foundation’s Project Esther calls for the use of counterterrorism tactics to “disrupt and degrade” student activism in the name of combating antisemitism. And attacks on universities’ finances and freedoms have become a defining feature of authoritarian regimes worldwide.
More here.
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