The US government has demanded UCLA pay $1bn to settle antisemitism allegations, offering to restore $584m in frozen federal grants. A draft deal would require payments in installments, a $172m victims’ fund, and new oversight measures, Al Jazeera reported.
UC President James B. Milliken warned the payment would cripple California’s public university system, while Governor Gavin Newsom called the proposal “extortion” and vowed to fight it, accusing President Donald Trump of attacking academic freedom.
The freeze follows a Justice Department finding that UCLA ignored harassment of Jewish and Israeli students during 2024 campus protests. UCLA recently paid $6.45m to settle a related lawsuit, as over 60 US universities face similar federal probes, Al Jazeera reported.
