Clarke Slams Trump Administration for Weakening Title Ix Protections for Sexual Assault Survivors in Wake of Cornell Assault
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 9, 2026 MEDIA CONTACT: e: jessica.myers@mail.house.gov c: 202.913.0126 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) issued the following statement: “For nearly two long and painful years, Americans have watched in helpless horror as our neighbors continue to be stolen from their homes and shot in the street by agents of the Trump Administration. Last night’s attempted murder of a New Yorker in front of his five-year-old son was far from the first disgraceful incident of its kind, but it must be the last. We demand that ICE leave our city immediately, and we are too disgusted to accept any delay. “While the Trump Administration’s government-sanctioned abuses have shocked our collective conscience and sickened our society, we cannot say that we are surprised to see them befall our communities. I fought bitterly to prevent Donald Trump and his congressional lackeys from empowering ICE with hundreds of billions in taxpayer dollars, because I was certain that these vile, unconstitutional crimes were an inevitability under this president’s watch. In fact, these depravities are the only promise Donald Trump has kept, serving as more red meat for his MAGA followers. Every incident is just another dreadful reminder of the resources that could have been spent positioning our society towards a brighter future. Not pulling the darkest chapters of our past back to the present. “ICE has proven itself nothing more than a vigilante weapon for the white nationalists to tear away at our multiracial democracy. It is a rogue agency, built by and for broken men. The only path forward is to rip that power away entirely, before ICE has any opportunity to further its relentless escalation of violence and despair in America. I therefore call upon Secretary Mullin to immediately remove ICE from sanctuary cities like New York City and all others his agents have invaded. The choice is his – however, the power is ours. Go out and vote!” ###
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 9, 2026 MEDIA CONTACT: e: jessica.myers@mail.house.gov c: 202.913.0126 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) issued the following statement: “Like countless Americans, I am deeply troubled by reports of the alleged sexual assault on a Cornell University student in 2024. The disturbing details of the case, as well as the university’s behavior and actions in its aftermath, have raised grave questions on the ability and willingness of our educational institutions to protect their students, pursue accountability, and prioritize justice, particularly under an administration that has provided them with every opportunity to escape their responsibilities to those in their care. “The Trump Administration’s decision to weaken Title IX by re-establishing a 2020 rule that diminishes protections for students, specifically women and girls facing sexual discrimination and harassment, has transparently made it needlessly difficult for students to report sexual misconduct. Cornell’s failure to take the appropriate course of action in the wake of this heinous crime stands on its own as evidence of the Trump Administration’s disastrous decision. “President Trump and Secretary McMahon should feel nothing but shame for reinstating policies that abandon victims instead of protecting them. The burden of securing justice should never rest with survivors, but rather the institutions that they entrusted with their safety. No university, no matter how prestigious or powerful, should be shielded when it fails its students. Women and girls deserve a system that protects them, validates their voices, and ensures their pursuit of justice does not bring them more harm beyond the unimaginable pain they have already endured.” ###
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