Universities violated rights of protesters, ACLU report says

Sarah Atwood, The Detroit News on Sep 23, 2026

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DETROIT — The American Civil Liberties Union and Amnesty International detailed how six colleges and universities violated the rights of "pro-Palestinian" student protesters and allowed campus and local law enforcement to arrest and use "unlawful and unnecessary" force against them in a report released Wednesday.

The University of Michigan, Columbia University, City College of New York, Tulane University, the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Texas at Austin were used as case studies in the 287-page report. The report's researchers used records including college and university policies, court documents, articles and survey questionnaire responses from students who participated in multiple protests.

"Universities’ responses to campus-related Palestine advocacy and pro-Palestinian demonstrations have been more punitive in comparison with their historical responses to other comparable demonstrations over decades," the ACLU report said. "Colleges and universities have imposed sweeping restrictions on student speech, initiated disciplinary actions against students, and imposed severe punishments including expulsions and suspensions. By doing so these universities directly or indirectly have made it easier for the Trump administration to crack down on student activism, causing long-term damage to higher education."

The University of Michigan did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the report's findings.

President Domenico Grasso has said that free speech is welcome, but he has an obligation to ensure the safety of all students, faculty, employees, patients and visitors and UM employees.

"What is not acceptable on campus are actions that damage property, disrupt operations and events, deny access to facilities or public commons, and physically threaten or harm others, including public safety officers," Grasso said in August 2025.

In June, federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment against eight people linked to UM accused of orchestrating plans to threaten university leaders, police and businesses with a wave of crimes designed to force the university to sever ties with Israel.

'Harsh' university response

The report said that since October 2023, the University of Michigan has seen a surge in on-campus protest activity related to Israel’s war in Gaza. The protests were sparked following the Israeli military campaign in Gaza that resulted in widespread destruction, death and displacement after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on mostly Israeli civilians that left roughly 1,200 dead and 250 abducted.

"Hundreds, if not thousands, of students and non-student community members have participated in on-campus protests organized to support Palestinians in Gaza, to denounce Israeli policy and military conduct, and to call for the University of Michigan to divest from companies and institutions with ties to Israel," the report said.

The ACLU and Amnesty International said the university's response to the protests was "harsh."

"Many of the larger protests have resulted in the university deploying its police to arrest, detain, physically harm, and use chemical sprays against protesters; initiating a variety of disciplinary proceedings against protesters; ordering protesters not to appear on campus under threat of criminal trespass sanctions; permanently banning some protesters from working at university-affiliated institutions; and adopting a new, ill-defined policy broadly prohibiting 'disruptions' anywhere on campus," the report said.

ACLU lawsuit against UM

This is at least the second time the ACLU has directly gone after the university regarding how it handled campus protests. In February 2025, the ACLU of Michigan filed a lawsuit on behalf of several students. The lawsuit challenged the university’s "trespass ban" that barred at least five individuals who participated in pro-Palestine protests from campus.

"These trespass bans have upended plaintiffs' daily lives, disrupted their education and work, and are blocking their ability to speak and protest freely on the university’s vast campus," the suit said.

Court records show the students and the university participated in a settlement conference on Sept. 17 and indicate the parties settled the litigation. No settlement was immediately available.

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