Hoodline Covers Growing Impact of AIM’s Arizona State Investigation
June 3, 2026
Secret DEI Videos Rock ASU As Feds Sweep Into Phoenix Campus
By Steve Wilson
Published on June 03, 2026
The U.S. Justice Department has launched a civil rights review of Arizona State University’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts after a series of viral undercover videos raised alarms about whether students were being treated differently based on race or background. Federal officials say they will be combing through admissions, recruitment, scholarships, tutoring and other academic support programs to see if any civil rights laws were crossed.
In a statement announcing the review, the department said it was responding to “recent viral videos indicating ASU denied equal treatment to students based on race, color, or national origin — while attempting to hide its discriminatory practices from federal scrutiny,” according to FOX 10 Phoenix. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon added that “the United States is committed to keeping universities free of unlawful discrimination.”
Undercover videos and federal complaints
The undercover footage at the center of the storm surfaced in January, when Accuracy in Media posted recordings that quickly circulated online. Local public radio coverage said the clips appeared to show faculty and administrators explaining how DEI work at ASU had continued under different labels after political pressure to scale such programs back. As KJZZ and campus outlets reported, the videos set off at least two formal federal complaints urging the Justice Department and the U.S. Department of Education to dig into ASU’s practices.