Trump Administration Seeks $1B Settlement from UCLA Over Pro-Palestine Protest Handling

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has asked the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to agree to a $1 billion settlement over its response to pro-Palestine protests, in what would be the largest such penalty imposed on a U.S. university.

A White House official and the University of California system confirmed the settlement proposal on Friday. The request, far exceeding recent deals with Columbia University ($221 million) and Brown University ($50 million), comes amid the administration’s push to bring top schools in line with its policies.

University of California President James Milliken said the institution had received the proposal from the Department of Justice and was reviewing it, noting that officials had previously offered to discuss the matter with the government.

UCLA, the largest campus in the UC system, also disclosed this week that the Trump administration suspended $584 million in federal grants to the school. The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division alleged that UCLA acted “with deliberate indifference” in fostering a hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students during pro-Palestine protests since 2023.

Free-speech advocates have accused the administration of conflating pro-Palestine and antiwar demonstrations with antisemitism to silence dissent. In 2024, UCLA paid $6 million to settle claims from three Jewish students and a professor who said protesters blocked their access to campus facilities.

The administration has not explained why it is seeking such a high settlement from UCLA. Milliken warned that paying $1 billion would devastate the public university system and harm students statewide.

Civil liberties groups stressed that students at public universities enjoy broader constitutional speech protections than those at private institutions. Any agreement with the administration could face legal challenges if seen as violating First Amendment rights.

California Governor Gavin Newsom urged university officials to resist the demands, calling the payment “an unacceptable blow to free expression and public education.”