The American Association of University Professors released a scathing report Monday accusing the Trump administration of using civil rights law to undermine academic freedom and institutional autonomy at colleges and universities nationwide.
Since October 7, 2023, the Department of Education has launched more than 60 Title VI investigations at colleges and universities, with investigations intensifying under the second Trump administration. The report argues these investigations often lack legal basis and violate due process requirements.
"The Trump administration has wielded Title VI with the goals of discrediting institutions of higher education, compromising academic freedom and institutional autonomy, and unmooring the Civil Rights Act from its foundational commitments," the report states.
Targeting DEI and Campus Speech
The AAUP report details how the administration has expanded Title VI enforcement beyond its original scope to investigate diversity, equity and inclusion programs and campus protests related to Israel and Palestine. Many investigations focus on "shared ancestry" claims involving Jewish students, often incorporating the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism that conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitism.
A February 2025 "Dear Colleague" letter from the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights declared its intent to investigate colleges for DEI programs that allegedly "stigmatize students that belong to particular racial groups" and teach that some students "bear unique moral burdens that others do not."
