Florida Governor Ron DeSantis slammed the anti-Semitic protests that happened over the weekend at his alma mater, Yale, saying that it was disgraceful and that foreign students who were involved should be deported and American students who were involved should be expelled.
DeSantis made the remarks when asked about the incidents at a press conference at the Cox Science Center and Aquarium where he announced investments for Everglades Restoration.
“If I were in charge, I would send the Justice Department after those universities, because this is unacceptable to have this type of of anti-semitism, where it’s not just bad speech, they’re really targeting Jewish students,” DeSantis said. “It’s a hostile environment and violates the civil rights of those students and these universities, they just aren’t willing to do what needs to be done.”
The governor noted that in Florida the schools have codes of conduct that are enforced and would result in students being kicked out of school if they tried to hold an anti-Semitic event or similar event where people are harassed.
“I think the students if they’re foreign students on visas, their visa should be canceled and they should be sent home. That should just happen,” he said. “Second, if it’s students, American students, and they’re violating code of conduct, you start expelling people — the behavior will change.”
“Right now, in higher education, particularly in those schools up there, the inmates run the asylum,” he continued. “And so the students do this stuff, knowing there’s not gonna be any repercussions. The minute there’s repercussions, you will start to see a change in behavior. And so I think what’s going on up there, it’s disgraceful, but I think Biden has been very weak in basically allowing that to happen without getting the Department of Education and Department of Justice involved, which I would have done.”
WATCH:
The Biden Justice and Education Departments are asleep at the wheel regarding antisemitism on college campuses. Both agencies should hold these universities accountable, and the visa of any foreign student who is championing Hamas should be canceled. pic.twitter.com/sUErXnBACu
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) April 22, 2024
