GOP rep looks to remove FAFSA aid for students convicted of rioting, assaulting police in Israel protests

Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, will soon introduce legislation that would withhold federal financial aid from student protesters convicted of rioting or attacking police in the latest wave of anti-Israel unrest, Fox News Digital has learned.

Police have already arrested hundreds of student protesters for various crimes at anti-Israel encampments across the country. New York City police alone arrested roughly 300 students during late night clearing operations at Columbia University and City College of New York.

“As a nation founded on principles of justice and respect for the rule of law, we must take a firm stance against violence and lawlessness, especially when directed at those who risk their lives to uphold order and protect our communities. My new legislation aims to send a clear message: if you assault a police officer or engage in rioting, you forfeit your right to federal financial aid,” Pfluger told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

“This is not a matter of political ideology but of basic decency and respect for our fellow citizens. The horrific antisemitic riots on college campuses across the country underscore the urgency of this issue. We cannot allow the persecution of Jewish Americans or any community to go unchecked,” he added.

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Pfluger, who chairs the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, went on to say that withholding federal financial support from those convicted will uphold the “safety and well-being of all Americans.”

The lawmaker’s office says the final text of the bill is still being determined, but they expect to introduce it in the near future.

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Clashes between anti-Israel agitators and police continue to take place across the country. Columbia University, the University of Texas at Austin, University of California at Los Angeles, Tulane University, the University of Florida and others have all brought in police to clear out protesters in recent days.

NYPD officers in riot gear break into a building at Columbia University, where anti-Israel students barricaded themselves inside a building and set up an encampment. (KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)

Some of the protesters have dispersed peacefully, but many others have stayed for violent confrontations with police.

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Administrators at Columbia noted that they believe outside agitators led the group that broke into and occupied Hamilton Hall on Tuesday. They also said the group of students forced the university’s security personnel from the building.

A possible suspect in the anti-Israel arrests from Columbia University is brought into central booking in New York City on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Roughly 300 protesters were arrested at Columbia University and City College overnight. (John M. Mantel for Fox News Digital)

The violence left administrators “no choice” but to call on the NYPD, they said.

“We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions. After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized, and blockaded, we were left with no choice,” administrators said in a statement. “Columbia public safety personnel were forced out of the building, and a member of our facilities team was threatened. We will not risk the safety of our community or the potential for further escalation.”