Princeton University says federal grants have been frozen amid antisemitism probe

Around $9 billion that was set to be given to Harvard was also placed under review this week.

In his message, Eisgruber pledged to ensure Princeton’s compliance with the law and guaranteed its cooperation with federal investigators.

He said: “We are committed to fighting antisemitism and all forms of discrimination, and we will cooperate with the government in combating antisemitism.

"Princeton will also vigorously defend academic freedom and the due process rights of this University.”

Eisgruber had previously opposed the freezing of Columbia’s funding. Writing last month in The Atlantic, he said: "The attack on Columbia is a radical threat to scholarly excellence and to America’s leadership in research.

"Universities and their leaders should speak up and litigate forcefully to protect their rights.”

The Education Department later confirmed that the Princeton decision was related to an investigation into allegations of antisemitic harassment which began under the Biden administration following claims that protestors had called for “intifada”.

It comes as several high profile deportation cases involving students involved in the protest movements continue to unfold.

Mahmoud Khalil, whose green card the Trump administration is attempting to revoke on national security grounds over his role as a negotiator in the Columbia protests, has successfully filed to have his case heard in New Jersey, where he was first detained, rather than in Louisiana, where he was subsequently transferred.

There is no suggestion that Khalil participated directly in any demonstrations beyond acting as a spokesperson and negotiator with university officials and he previously said there was “no place for antisemitism” in the protest movement. He has not been charged with any crime.

Had the motion failed, he would have had his case heard by one of the most conservative appeals courts in the country.

Similarly, Rumeysa Ozturk, a student at Tufts University, was detained in Boston after she authored an article accusing Israel of genocide. The Justice Department has claimed she engaged in activities in support of Hamas but have not confirmed the nature of these activities, while friends insist she was not directly involved in the protests.

Ozturk is now being held at a detention facility after a judge ruled that she, like Khalil, could not be deported until a court ruled on the legality of her arrest. The Department of Homeland Security has argued that her deportation is necessary on the grounds that her alleged acitivites could have “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences and would compromise a compelling U.S. foreign policy interest.”