The Trump administration is pushing for a $1 billion settlement from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), a White House official revealed Friday, escalating its crackdown on alleged antisemitism and civil rights violations at major universities. The official, speaking anonymously due to lack of authorization, confirmed the demand comes after the Department of Justice accused UCLA of fostering a hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students, violating the Equal Protection Clause and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

UCLA faces a freeze on $584 million in federal grants, the first public university targeted by the administration over such allegations. The proposed settlement, detailed in a draft obtained by CNN, requires UCLA to pay $1 billion in installments, establish a $172 million fund for those affected by alleged discrimination, appoint a resolution monitor, and hire a senior administrator to ensure compliance with anti-discrimination laws. It also mandates ending overnight protests, revising protest policies, and discontinuing race-based scholarships.

UC President James B. Milliken called the $1 billion demand devastating, stating, “As a public university, we are stewards of taxpayer resources, and a payment of this scale would completely devastate our country’s greatest public university system.” He emphasized UCLA’s commitment to dialogue with the Department of Justice to protect its research mission.

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The move follows a $6 million settlement UCLA reached last month with Jewish students and a professor, who claimed pro-Palestinian protests in 2024 blocked their campus access. UCLA has since launched an Office of Campus and Community Safety and contributed $2.3 million to anti-antisemitism organizations.

Trump’s administration has used federal funding as leverage to push reforms at elite colleges, targeting perceived liberalism and antisemitism. Columbia University paid $200 million to restore $400 million in grants, while Brown University agreed to a $50 million deal. Harvard, facing a $2.6 billion funding freeze, is in negotiations, as are Cornell ($1 billion), Northwestern ($790 million), and Duke ($108 million). The University of Pennsylvania settled a civil rights case by adjusting transgender athlete records and issuing apologies.

California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized the settlements, calling them “mob boss behavior” and vowing to fight back. UC Regents Chair Janet Reilly deemed the $1 billion demand “unacceptable,” arguing it contradicts UCLA’s values and threatens its students and research.

The administration’s strategy, using Columbia’s deal as a template, signals more high-stakes negotiations with universities nationwide, reshaping higher education through financial pressure.

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