A group of Republican senators called for the revocation of funding for universities over the ongoing anti-Israel protests, which many have called antisemitic. The news came as Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) called for foreign-born students caught using pro-terrorist rhetoric to be deported.
Among the supporters of tougher measures toward universities is Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN), who said this week that federal funding should be cut for colleges allowing antisemitic protests.
He said that the group of senators will be “looking at the next steps right away. In fact, it’s coming up over the course of the next several weeks. This is a top-of-mind issue for most of the senators. It’s even a bipartisan concern.”
“We’ve got to address this. The campuses have really just let things run wild,” Hagerty said.
The senator said that college campuses “have become a hotbed of discriminatory behavior, of violence.” He cited the more than 2,000 arrests made on college campuses.
He said that both the American public and the Senate were concerned about what was happening, and said that it was the result of the “DEI initiative” on college campuses, citing diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.”
It is unclear what the result of the effort will be, but some of the private colleges seeing the largest protests have endowments that total into the billions of dollars.
The protests on various college campuses have grown in recent weeks, including some students occupying academic buildings. In addition, some protesters set up tent cities on their campuses, requiring a police response.
“If you’re in America on a student visa and you’re supporting Hamas, then it’s time for you to go!” Rubio said.
If you’re in America on a student visa and you’re supporting Hamas then it’s time for you to go!
pic.twitter.com/SS93e1P8A0— Senator Marco Rubio (@SenMarcoRubio) May 2, 2024
Last year the senator called a similar proposal “common sense.”
“You’re a visitor; you’re not even American; you’re a foreign national. You’re here because we gave you a visa to be here temporarily, and now you’re out there defending and supporting Hamas, a terrorist organization?” Rubio said.
Last year Rubio was joined by a group of Republican senators calling for President Joe Biden to deport individuals who supported terrorist organizations such as Hamas, which launched the Oct. 7 attack in Israel that killed about 1,200 people.
