Washington D.C. – On July 21, 2026, a bipartisan group of Commissioners unanimously voted to approve the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights report, The Federal Response to Antisemitism on American College and University Campuses. The report will be finalized and released in September 2026. Upon release, it will be formally transmitted to the President and Congress as part of the Commission’s responsibility to advise the nation’s leaders on civil rights matters.
This report is the culmination of a bipartisan investigation, led by Commissioners Peter Kirsanow (R) and Mondaire Jones (D). This investigation examined how institutions of higher education and the federal government responded to allegations of antisemitism on U.S. college and university campuses in violation of federal civil rights protections.
The investigation included a briefing held on February 19, 2026, during which the Commission heard testimony from subject matter experts such as current and former federal employees, impacted students and university officials, advocacy organizations, and legal and policy experts. The briefing was followed by a Public Comment Session on the next day where students, educators, university officials, and community members shared their personal experiences with antisemitism on college campuses. The Commission solicited engagement from the public and received 37 public comments that informed our report.
“This bipartisan, unanimous vote shows what the Commission can accomplish when we work together, follow the facts, and take difficult civil rights issues seriously,” said Rochelle Garza, Chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. “Antisemitism has no place on our college campuses. Students should be protected from discrimination and harassment while colleges and universities also respect free speech and expression. This report gives the President, Congress, universities, and the public an important factual record to help guide the work ahead.”
“This historic report, The Federal Response to Antisemitism on American College and University Campuses, is the culmination of a thorough, bipartisan investigation led by me and Commissioner Peter Kirsanow,” said Mondaire Jones, Commissioner on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. “The adoption of the report, which is set for publication in September, comes at a time of significant and ongoing national discourse surrounding the tension between Title VI protections against antisemitic discrimination, First Amendment expression, and academic freedom at institutions of higher education. As colleges and universities experienced an increase in reports of antisemitism on their campuses post-October 7th, these institutions were faced with the challenge of balancing civil rights protections for Jewish students, faculty, and staff with constitutionally protected protest activity and longstanding institutional commitments to academic freedom.
The Commission’s report makes clear that thoughtfulness, intention, and legal process matter. It is the product of a year of intensive, independent research; close review of a representative sample of university responses; and robust and ideologically diverse testimony from legal and policy experts, including professors and current and former federal officials, as well as stakeholder organizations.
We are especially grateful to have had the opportunity to hear directly from impacted college and university students and faculty. Ultimately, this report is for their protection. Among the report’s many contributions to the literature on Title VI enforcement against antisemitic discrimination, I am proud that this Commission is the first federal agency to hear and publish testimony from former high-ranking officials who specialized in Title VI enforcement at the Departments of Education and Justice, and who were able to speak directly to how that enforcement activity has evolved in recent years. This report also offers one of the first detailed federal examinations of university procedures for addressing campus antisemitism, in addition to being among the first comprehensive analyses of the federal government’s response.”
“The Commission’s investigation into campus antisemitism adduced disturbing evidence about the scale and breadth of the problem while providing valuable insights into the means by which the scourge may be effectively addressed,” said Peter Kirsanow, Commissioner on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. “Many thanks to Commissioner Mondaire Jones for his co-leadership on this project.”
publicaffairs@usccr.gov