Student groups, political leaders divided over Northwestern's federal funding deal with Trump admin.

EVANSTON, Ill. (WLS) -- Advocates for Jewish students at Northwestern University say the agreement between the university and the Trump administration is the first step in ensuring their safety on campus, but some key political leaders condemn the agreement, saying the university is bending to the will of the president.

Days after Northwestern University reached an agreement with the Trump administration to restore nearly $800 million in research funding, and to pay a $75 million penalty to settle racial discrimination allegations, reaction to the deal is still pouring in.

The federal funding was frozen by President Donald Trump's administration earlier this year amid antisemitism probes by multiple government agencies, including the Department of Justice, as the government investigated alleged civil rights violations at universities across the country.

A coalition of Jewish students and other advocates say the action by the Trump administration was a direct result of a failure by the university to protect them during campus protests.

"Our federal partners took these concerns seriously acted decisively and delivered a first step toward accountability," said Michael Teplitsky with the Coalition Against Antisemitism at Northwestern.

The coalition says there are documented incidents of Jewish students being harassed on campus during pro-Palestinian protests.

Part of Northwestern's agreement was terminating a deal that allowed students to continue demonstrations for several weeks, in exchange for the removal of their encampment.

"For many of us, the funding freeze has exposed that our campus culture must change," Northwestern University student Christina Sher said.

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However, some key political leaders in Illinois are criticizing the deal, saying its bowing down to government overreach.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a major donor to the university, says the agreement amounts to extortion.

"I think any time a university signs an agreement based upon this extortion, they're whittling away just a little bit at the democracy we all rely upon," Pritzker said.

Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss called the agreement blackmail, saying in a statement, "As a Jewish person, I am disturbed by the Trump administration's disingenuous use of the very serious crisis of antisemitism to justify its actions."

The Coalition Against Antisemitism at Northwestern says they will monitor the university to make sure they follow the agreement and report any deficiencies to federal and congressional partners.