Western South Dakota News

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) recently appeared on Fox News to address the concerning rise of antisemitic incidents on college campuses across the nation. Alongside Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and 25 Senate Republican colleagues, Thune emphasized the need for immediate action from the Biden administration to safeguard Jewish students in educational settings.

Thune expressed his dismay over the ongoing situation, stating, "What's happening on these college campuses obviously has been fomenting for a long time. This is decades in the making, but these are violations of federal law." He highlighted the unacceptable nature of rioting, violence, harassment, and discrimination targeting Jewish groups on campuses, calling out the failure of school officials to adequately protect these students.

The senator underscored the urgency for federal intervention, urging the Department of Education and the Justice Department to step in. Thune suggested a decisive measure, stating, "One thing they could do, the Department of Education could do very quickly, is you know, take away funds from schools that aren't following the law."

Acknowledging Sen. Tom Cotton's leadership in addressing the crisis, Thune commended the initiative, noting, "I give Tom Cotton a lot of credit for initiating this because clearly something had to be done." He criticized universities for their inability to manage the escalating situation on their campuses and proposed the involvement of law enforcement agencies like the NYPD and the National Guard to restore order.

Thune concluded by emphasizing the importance of holding accountable those who violate laws on campus, including the potential deportation of foreign students found to be engaged in unlawful activities. He emphasized, "And if you've got people there who are violating laws, they ought to be charged that way. And if you've got students who are here, foreigners who are here on visas, those visas ought to be taken away and they ought to be deported."