Washington, D.C. — Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-12) released the following statement in response to the Trump Administration's massive layoffs to the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR), including closure of the New York office. The OCR enforces Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, protecting students from discrimination based on race, color, or national origin, including antisemitism.

"The Trump Administration’s hypocrisy on antisemitism is on full display.

Gutting the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights cripples the office responsible for protecting Jewish students from discrimination at a time when it’s needed most.

While the Trump Administration is busy denying due process to a legal permanent resident, assaulting first amendment rights to free speech, and unjustly cutting $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University, students on campus just had a huge part of their best line of defense eliminated.

Donald Trump's claim to fight antisemitism on college campuses is a sham. He cannot dismantle the very office that investigates antisemitism on college campuses and helm an administration that hires and associates with antisemites, while credibly claiming to combat antisemitism. 

Indeed, Trump’s actions on antisemitism speak louder than his empty rhetoric."

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