U.S. President Donald Trump’s task force to respond to Jew-hatred told the mayors of New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston that it plans to visit the cities as part of its probe of antisemitism, it said on Thursday.
The task force intends to meet with mayors, city or district attorneys and local police “soon to discuss their responses to incidents of antisemitism at schools and on college campuses in their cities over the last two years,” Leo Terrell, a leading member of the task force and senior counsel to the assistant U.S. attorney general for civil rights, told the mayors, Eric Adams (New York City), Karen Bass (Los Angeles), Brandon Johnson (Chicago) and Michelle Wu (Boston).
The task force is “aware of allegations that the schools in their respective cities may have failed to protect Jewish students from unlawful discrimination, in potential violation of federal law,” Terrell told the mayors. He added that he aims for the panel “to meet with city leadership, impacted students, local law enforcement and community members as it gathers information about these incidents and considers whether federal intervention is warranted.
“Too many elected officials chose not to stand up to a rising tide of antisemitism in our cities and campuses following the horrific events of Oct. 7, 2023,” Pamela Bondi, the U.S. attorney general, stated. “Actions have consequences—inaction does, too.”
