University of California student governments are banned from boycotting Israel, the university system told campus presidents on Wednesday in an apparent concession to the Trump administration’s effort to crack down on pro-Palestinian movements on university campuses.

UC President Michael Drake told chancellors in a letter that their campuses have an obligation to make financial decisions that are “grounded in sound business practices,” prohibiting them from boycotting companies based on associations with particular countries.

The letter applies to all countries, but comes after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and National Science Foundation sent notices to federal grantees in May with updated guidelines prohibiting recipients of new grants from engaging in boycotts of Israel.

The letter said existing UC policy prohibits these kinds of boycotts, since universities and their student governments are required to include competitive bidding in their financial and business decisions.

In March, the university took control of the law student association’s $40,000 annual budget over the new regulations.

Dov Baum, the director of corporate accountability for American Friends Service Committee, an organization supporting the university BDS movement, said the recent change to the grant eligibility policy represents a larger aim of the Trump administration to stifle free speech.

UC Caves to Trump Pressure and Bans Israel Boycotts | KQED