DOJ opens investigation into UW's ‘handling of antisemitism'
The Trump administration, which has scrutinized dozens of universities over reported antisemitic events, is investigating the University of Washington over a protest group UW says isn't affiliated with the school.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon posted on X that she authorized an investigation over the university's "handling of antisemitism" and cited the group Students United For Palestinian Equality and Return at University of Washington, or SUPER UW, and its Tuesday event to raise funds for mutual aid for Lebanon. A civil liberties group criticized the administration for investigating the university over an off-campus event.
The administration has targeted education institutions, alleging the universities haven't done enough to protect Jewish students and faculty members from discrimination and harassment on campus. Government officials have threatened the universities with funding cuts and other enforcement action.
The Justice Department didn't provide specific examples of antisemitism on campus, nor did it respond to a Seattle Times request for comment Monday evening and Tuesday morning. SUPER UW calls itself a group dedicated to equal rights and justice for the Palestinian people."
The Justice Department notified UW that it is conducting a compliance review, UW spokesperson Victor Balta said.
"The university will cooperate with the review and provide information and responses," Balta said in a statement. " … The University of Washington strongly and unequivocally opposes antisemitism in all forms."
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression on Tuesday called for the investigation to end, saying UW has no control over what an unrecognized group does off campus.
"Holding UW responsible for the actions of an off-campus group would stretch federal civil rights law far past its lawful bounds," said Tyler Corward, FIRE's lead counsel for government affairs.
Though UW students are part of the protest group, SUPER UW's group registration with UW was permanently revoked in May 2025, after a group of protesters took over the school's Interdisciplinary Engineering Building and refused to leave for hours while damaging the new building and equipment.
The protest group called for UW to cut financial ties with Boeing, a major supplier to the Israel Defense Forces. The group's demands included UW evicting the aviation giant's presence in the engineering building, which was built with a $10 million donation from Boeing and naming rights on the second floor and ending what the group called a "targeted assault" on "pro-Palestine activism and activists.
Thirty-three people were charged nearly 10 months later with first-degree criminal trespassing. At least 21 were UW students at the time and were suspended for three quarters.
Balta said the university last year told Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, that the protest group isn't authorized to use the UW name on social media. Meta declined to address the issue in March; UW has appealed the decision.
SUPER UW's fundraiser scheduled for Tuesday evening included a screening of a movie about Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and a sale with proceeds going toward Lebanese aid organizations. A spokesperson for the group did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
"With the recent escalated attacks on Lebanon, it is a crucial time to raise funds to materially support as well as deepen our understandings of the Lebanese resistance," the group wrote on its Facebook page.
UW entered an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education in 2025, during the Biden administration, following an investigation into UW's handling of dozens of discrimination complaints. The civil rights office received about 140 discrimination reports, including allegations of harassment of Jewish and Muslim students, many of which occurred after the war in Gaza began following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.
As part of the agreement, in which UW didn't admit to any wrongdoing, noncompliance or liability, all UW students and employees have to take a civil rights training.
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This story was originally published April 21, 2026 at 4:58 PM.