The American Jewish Committee (AJC) has welcomed the Trump administration’s newly issued Executive Order on Additional Measures to Combat Antisemitism, which aims to intensify legal action against antisemitic harassment and violence in the United States.
The order instructs federal agencies to utilize all available legal tools to prevent discrimination against Jews and address civil rights violations, particularly in response to heightened antisemitic incidents following Hamas’ October 7, 2023, terror attack against Israel.
“We endorse without hesitation the instruction to identify statutes to prevent discrimination against Jews,” the AJC stated. However, the organization also urged the administration to ensure that other provisions of the order are implemented with strict adherence to existing laws, particularly to avoid unintended consequences for ethnic and religious groups.
A key aspect of the order is its focus on individuals in the U.S. on temporary work or student visas who provide material support to designated terror organizations. The AJC emphasized that such individuals are violating U.S. law and should not be permitted to remain in the country.
To aid in the implementation of the executive order, the AJC has called for the use of additional federal statutes beyond Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to address antisemitism, highlighting its Guide to Federal Statutes that Protect Jews from Discrimination, which details legal protections across multiple government agencies.