Universities under attack by the Republican Trump administration.

Some of the nation’s universities, even the most prestigious, have been threatened by Donald Trump’s administration as billions of dollars in federal funding has been frozen to eradicate what he calls “progressive ideology” from higher education.

Recently elite universities such as for Cornell University in NY. had a billion dollar cut in funding, Northwestern University in Massachusetts had a $790 million dollar cut, amid investigations into possible civil rights violations at both universities.

In another case, faced with the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in government grants and contracts, Columbia University caved to the Trump administration and received a series of policy changes.

Responding to similar pressures, the University of California prohibits the use of “diversity statements” in faculty hiring.

Dr. Gaspar Rivera-Salgado, Professor of Labor Affairs and Social Justice at EU, Project Director and Director of the Center for Labor Studies and the Center for Mexico Studies at the University of California Los Angeles-UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, explains what the impact of this battle is that universities across the country are experiencing.

Dr. Gaspar Rivera-Salgado recognizes that this situation has to do with political ideology.

The director of the Center for Mexican Studies at UCLA, Gaspar Rivera, says that California has also been attacked and explains why.

In fact, he warns that there is a record of students being blocked from obtaining visas and some have been arrested.

Rivera Salgado, considers that the criticism to the defense of the universities, because it is by nature a place where ideas are debated.

He considers that the issue of elite universities is not a complete picture.

Faced with the argument that universities are nests of radicals, Dr. Gaspar Rivera-Salgado, Professor of Labor Affairs and Social Justice in the US, Project Director and Director of the Center for Labor Studies, Center for Mexico Studies at the University of California Los Angeles-UCLA, Los Angeles, CA. affirms that there is diversity and recalls that by nature in universities critical thinking is developed.

With attacks, Donald Trump is trying to close spaces for criticism through resources, Dr. Gaspar Rivera-Salgado recognizes that it is a relevant moment to continue monitoring the debate in the face of the Republican’s attacks.