Evanston, Ill., Mayor Daniel Biss, a Democratic congressional candidate, on Monday defended his decision in 2024 to withhold police support requested by Northwestern University to clear an anti-Israel encampment on the school’s campus.

The lack of police support, according to internal communications released by the House Education and Workforce Committee last month as part of an inquiry to Biss, forced the university to reach an agreement with the encampment, lacking the necessary law enforcement personnel to disperse and arrest the encampment members. 

Jewish community members said the deal rewarded antisemitic behavior.

Biss, who is running for Congress in Illinois’ 11th Congressional District, asserted that the Evanston police department did not determine that the encampment posed a threat to students or the community, and that police officials had been concerned that forcibly clearing the encampment would worsen the situation.

“I did not, and would not, direct the Evanston Police Department to disperse a protest or arrest protesters against the advice of department leadership,” Biss wrote in a letter to Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), the chairman of the committee, on Monday. “Doing so would unnecessarily endanger officers, improperly suppress constitutionally protected speech, and substitute political judgement for the expertise of public safety professionals.”

Facing a federal investigation, Northwestern agreed to pay the Trump administration $75 million and cancel the agreement with the encampment participants.

Walberg also accused Biss of publicizing his refusal to provide police support as a means of burnishing his progressive political credentials. In his response letter, Biss denied this.

“Antisemitism is a dangerous and growing problem in our country and around the world, and one that I have taken seriously throughout my career,” Biss wrote. “In addition to its voluminous inquiries into universities, businesses, local municipalities, and other entities, I encourage the committee to also examine the rise of antisemitic rhetoric originating from within the federal government,” he continued, pointing to reported antisemitic comments by Customs and Border Protection Commander Gregory Bovino

Biss said he would provide a briefing to the committee, as requested by Walberg, on his decisions surrounding the Northwestern encampment, at a time to be determined.