ICAN Statement in Strong Support of Presidential Actions to Combat Antisemitism

The Israeli-American Civic Action Network (ICAN) commends the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, for issuing a bold and decisive Executive Order to combat the rising surge of antisemitism across the country, particularly in educational institutions, including K-12 schools. This order reaffirms Executive Order 13899, thereby reinstating the full force of civil rights protections for Jewish and Israeli-American students and strengthening the federal government’s ability to prosecute antisemitic harassment, violence, and discrimination.

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Jewish and Israeli-American students in America have faced an unprecedented surge in hostility since the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel. Campuses and schools that should be centers of education and learning have instead become breeding grounds for intimidation, exclusion, and violence against Jewish students. This is unacceptable. We applaud this Administration for taking direct action to ensure that Jewish students receive equal protection under the law.

This Executive Order mandates that federal agencies, including the Department of Justice, the Department of Education, and the Department of Homeland Security, identify and aggressively enforce all available legal tools to prosecute acts of antisemitic discrimination. It directs an immediate review of all pending cases related to campus antisemitism and strengthens mechanisms to hold institutions accountable for failing to protect Jewish students at both K-12 schools and higher education institutions.

We call on local school boards, superintendents, and state education departments to ensure full enforcement of the Executive Order, safeguarding Jewish students in K-12 institutions. Beyond protections from harassment, ICAN urges oversight of curricula to ensure that antisemitic content, including anti-Israel bias in ethnic studies, is not promoted in K-12 education.

ICAN has long advocated for a zero-tolerance approach to antisemitism, including the full enforcement of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, the IHRA definition of antisemitism, and increased federal oversight of local school and university administrations that allow hostility toward Jewish students to fester.

Furthermore, we strongly support the order’s directive to monitor and address foreign nationals supporting terrorist organizations and engaging in antisemitic activities on U.S. campuses and in public schools. Schools and universities must be vigilant in upholding American values of inclusion and respect, ensuring that those who promote hate and violence are held accountable, including through legal means such as visa revocations and removal when warranted.

ICAN was instrumental in drafting proposed legislation during the 118th Congress to address these very issues and worked closely with members of Congress. We were disappointed that Congress failed to legislate these policies, however, we have immense appreciation to the President for taking decisive action through this Executive Order, and we urge Congress to codify these protections to preserve them for future administrations.

This Executive Order marks a turning point in ensuring Jewish and Israeli-American students no longer face hostility in their schools. ICAN calls on state and local officials, school administrators, university leadership, and law enforcement to implement these protections immediately.