Statement from Reps. Espaillat, Nadler Condemning Student Unlawfulness at Columbia University

WASHINGTON, DC - Representatives Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) and Jerry Nadler (NY-12) issued the following joint statement in response to student vandalism and unlawfulness at Columbia University.

"Students are entitled to free speech, but vandalism is unacceptable. Students who wrongfully occupy buildings, destroy private property, and willfully disrupt campus life should be held accountable. We urge the university to move quickly and swiftly to remove the students who have engaged in unlawful actions so the campus can reopen and return to normal activity. We continue working with our colleagues to ensure Congress takes real action to combat anti-Semitism-providing resources to the agencies tasked with, among other things, protecting Jewish students-and all students and faculty on campus-and move on from the purely symbolic, empty gestures that House Republicans have offered us so far."

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Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his fourth term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government's vital activities and serves as Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the committee during the 118th Congress. He is also a member of the House Budget Committee and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Deputy Chair as well as Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). Rep. Espaillat is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) and serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.

Media inquiries: Candace Person at [email protected]