Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights at the US Department of Justice, described the rise in antisemitism in the country as "a national crisis" and made clear that combating the phenomenon would remain among the Justice Department's highest priorities. In a speech to the Israeli-American community in San Diego, she outlined a series of enforcement actions against universities and institutions across the US.
"The rise in antisemitism is not a wave of isolated incidents," Dhillon said at the Israeli-American Council (IAC) gala. "It is a national crisis demanding national resolve." She said the Civil Rights Division is acting "with speed, with focus, and with resolve" against discrimination, harassment and antisemitic violence.
Dhillon pointed to lawsuits against "elite universities" Harvard and UCLA, as well as settlements totaling nearly half a billion dollars with universities including Columbia, Northwestern, Cornell, and Brown. She said the Justice Department is investigating more than 100 educational institutions on suspicion of civil rights violations, and in some cases has found evidence of policies that contributed to creating an antisemitic climate.
Video: Harmeet Dhillon speaks at the Israel Hayom Summit in New York City, US, in November 2025
"We will bring federal power to bear"
Dhillon added that the department is also pursuing cases outside university campuses, including one against a coffee house that she said refused service to Jewish customers, as well as indictments for antisemitic violence and hate crimes in several states. "When a Jew is attacked because he is a Jew, that is a federal crime, and we will bring federal power to bear," she said.
She said the department is also using federal tools to act against discrimination targeting Orthodox Jewish communities and to protect worshippers at synagogues and religious institutions. She stressed that enforcement is not limited to campuses but also covers workplaces, public spaces, and houses of worship.
Closing her remarks, Dhillon called on community members to continue reporting incidents and cooperating with investigations. "As long as I serve as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, fighting antisemitism, through every existing federal tool, will be one of my highest priorities," she said.
