Trump Administration Seeks $1 Billion Settlement from UCLA
The Trump administration is pursuing a settlement of $1 billion from the University of California, Los Angeles, as indicated by White House officials on Friday.
An unnamed source, who was not authorized to speak publicly about this matter, shared the information on the condition of anonymity.
Recently, UCLA announced that the administration has frozen $584 million in federal grants to the university.
The Department of Justice has criticized UCLA for incidents related to anti-Semitism in recent weeks.
This marks the first time federal grants have been targeted at a public university due to allegations of civil rights violations connected to anti-Semitism and affirmative action.
Similar actions have already been taken by the administration against private institutions over comparable allegations.
The newly appointed president of UC, James B. Miliken, confirmed on Friday that he has received a notice from the Justice Department and is currently reviewing its contents.
Miliken mentioned that earlier this week, the university had invited the department to engage in a meaningful dialogue to safeguard its research initiatives.
“As a public university, we handle taxpayer funds, and such a payment could severely threaten our state’s largest public university system, thereby impacting both students and Californians significantly,” he stated.
UCLA recently settled for $6 million with three Jewish students and a Jewish professor who claimed that pro-Palestinian demonstrators obstructed access to classes, thus violating civil rights in a lawsuit filed in 2024.
The university remains dedicated to maintaining a safe, inclusive campus and plans to continue implementing suggested improvements.
