In the hours after a gunman chanting “free Palestine!” shot and killed two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, President Donald Trump promised Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. his administration would crack down on rising antisemitism in America.

The White House started at a place many, including Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz, argue is the root of the problem — elite college campuses where protests have dominated those institutions since Oct. 7.

“Look, Harvard has done some terrible, terrible things. It has not only tolerated antisemitism, it has actually fomented it by some of its curriculum and it bears some indirect, but some responsibility for what happened in Washington D.C.,” Dershowitz said. “Harvard bears a lot of responsibility for the demise of education in America and the substitution of propaganda.”

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found Columbia University had violated civil rights law by acting with deliberate indifference toward harassment of Jewish students.

“The findings carefully document the hostile environment Jewish students at Columbia University have had to endure for over 19 months, disrupting their education, safety and well-being,” said Anthony Archeval, acting director of the Office for Civil Rights at HHS. “We encourage Columbia University to work with us to come to an agreement that reflects meaningful changes that will truly protect Jewish students.”

Also on Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security issued an order (effective immediately) banning international students from attending Harvard

“You see those same people picketing and screaming at the United States and screaming. You know they’re antisemitic or they’re something. We don’t want troublemakers here,” Trump said in the Oval Office Friday afternoon.

DHS cited the school’s failure to comply with DHS records requests regarding international students as the reason for the order.

“This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on X. “Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country.”

The largest foreign student population at Harvard comes from China. They make up one-fifth of all international students. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s own daughter studied at Harvard.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning reacted to the ban, saying “the relevant actions by the U.S. side will only damage its own image and international credibility,” according to the Associated Press. She added that China would protect the rights and interests of Chinese students and scholars abroad.

On Friday, a Barack Obama-appointed federal judge issued a temporary block on the Harvard foreign students ban taking effect.

Regardless, Dershowitz said he predicts the move will end with the White House ultimately getting what it wants.

Have a news tip? Contact Kayla Gaskins at kgaskins@sbgtv.com or at x.com/kaylagaskinsTV.