- Legislation
- EO 13899
- Status
- In Effect
- In Effect Since
- December 2019
- Type(s)
- Antisemitism Redefinition
- Full Text
- Read EO 13899
This antisemitism redefinition executive order was signed by Donald Trump on December 11, 2019. The order directs government agencies charged with enforcing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, including the Department of Education, to consider a distorted definition of antisemitism designed to censor advocacy for Palestinian rights. Attempts to pass similar legislation in Congress have failed to date (S 852, HR 4009 (2019), S 2940, HR 5924, S 10, HR 6421) following criticism from activists and civil liberties groups over the legislation’s clear encroachment on political speech.
The order incorporates the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition and its problematic contemporary examples, which falsely conflate political criticism of Israel with antisemitism. Past efforts to deploy the redefinition to silence advocacy for Palestinian rights leave little doubt that the order will be used to justify federal investigations into Palestine activism on campuses while adding no new legal protections for Jewish or other students affected by a resurgence of violent white nationalist antisemitism and racism. Since the order was signed, there has been an uptick in federal complaints and investigations against campus Palestine advocacy.