US rights group slams Columbia funding cuts as ‘unconstitutional’

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The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) says the Trump administration’s decision to cancel $400m in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University is unlawful, Al Jazeera reports.

“This move is the latest escalation by the Trump administration to coerce colleges and universities into censoring student speech and advocacy that isn’t MAGA approved, like criticising Israel or supporting Palestinian rights,” NYCLU executive director Donna Lieberman said in a statement.

“It is unconstitutional and unprecedented, but it is entirely consistent with Trump’s long-held desire to silence views with which he disagrees and clamp down on protest,” she said.

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