1. United States
2. La.
3. Letter

The federal government's recent actions against Columbia University raise serious concerns about legally established processes and constitutional rights being disregarded. The current administration has circumvented proper Title VI procedures in its investigation, unduly targeting the university over pro-Palestinian speech and academic departments. This appears to be an assault on free speech protections guaranteed by the First Amendment. While all students deserve an environment free of discrimination and while Antisemitism is illegal and must be addressed rigorously, the government's actions violate existing law and policy denying the university and its faculty due process under law. Institutions of higher learning must be safeguarded from such politically-motivated overreach that undermines due process. We call for an immediate cessation of these unfair and likely illegal measures against Columbia, and a reaffirmation of the federal government's commitment to upholding academic freedom and following lawful avenues for addressing any grievances.