Carvajal v. Florida International University

Summary

On March 24, 2026, Abel Carvajal, a law student at Florida International University and secretary of the Miami-Dade GOP, filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block the university from continuing its investigation into a private WhatsApp group chat that circulated among FIU students and local Republican activists. At the time the chats were created and used in 2025, he held that party position, and he resigned after the messages became public in March 2026. The complaint argued that FIU’s investigation violated the First Amendment, asserting that the messages were private speech that did not amount to true threats or incitement and that the university was engaging in “viewpoint discrimination.” It sought to enjoin FIU from continuing its student conduct process or imposing discipline.

The controversy began on March 5, 2026, when screenshots of the group chats became public. The messages contained repeated racist, antisemitic, homophobic, misogynistic, and violent language, including references to Black people as “n——s” and statements such as “we should kill n——s,” along with similar derogatory remarks targeting Jewish, gay, and other minority groups. Carvajal was identified as the creator and alleged administrator of one of the chats, which included participants tied to campus political organizations and local Republican youth networks. That same day, the Miami-Dade GOP condemned the content, stating the language did not reflect the organization’s values. Within days, Carvajal resigned from his party position. Several student leaders associated with campus conservative political organizations also stepped down after the messages drew national attention.

On March 6, Florida International University opened an investigation through its Office of Civil Rights and student conduct process. University leadership described the messages as “deeply disturbing” and stated that harassment or threats could violate university policy. In a March 10 campus-wide message, the university reaffirmed that it would follow established procedures to address conduct inconsistent with maintaining a safe environment. No disciplinary sanctions were announced at that stage, and the investigation remained ongoing.

In mid-March 2026, student and faculty protests occurred on campus, including demonstrations on or around March 16. Protesters cited the group chat messages as evidence of hostility toward Black and Jewish students and called for accountability and stronger protections.

In the period between the disclosures and the lawsuit, FIU continued its investigation without announcing suspensions or expulsions. By March 24, the filing transformed the dispute into a legal challenge over the university’s authority to investigate and potentially sanction students for private online speech. FIU maintained that it had authority to enforce policies against harassment and threats.

In mid-May 2026, the court stayed the federal lawsuit, pausing the case while FIU’s disciplinary process continued. The court emphasized the state’s interest in addressing disruptive, threatening, or harassing conduct on campus and noted that FIU’s process included procedural protections such as notice and hearings. It also acknowledged the students’ claims of self-censorship but found that disciplinary proceedings were still ongoing for some students, with appeals expected.

Following the investigation, FIU imposed two-year suspensions and campus bans on Abel Carvajal and Dariel Gonzalez, both of whom held leadership roles in Republican-aligned student or party organizations. The suspensions, issued in early May 2026, effectively barred them from the university through May 2028. According to court filings, the disciplinary decisions were based on findings that the WhatsApp chats contained extensive racist, antisemitic, homophobic, misogynistic, and violent statements, and that Carvajal acted as the administrator of the group. Gonzalez was also cited for making explicit derogatory statements targeting Black and Jewish individuals. Both students were barred from campus, and other students involved remained subject to ongoing disciplinary proceedings with anticipated appeals of the sanctions.