Columbia faculty unions spoke out outside of Columbia University Irving Medical Center on Wednesday after filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration.

They believe the federal government’s move to freeze $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University is an attempt to undermine critical scientific research, calling it dangerous and unlawful.

“Trump’s termination of funding for health science research is an attack on your doctors and those who are training your doctors and nurses,” Melanie Wall, mental health data science director at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, said.

“But more than that, it is an attack on those of us who are doing the innovative research and development that leads to the new medical and public health discoveries that helps everyone,” Wall added.

Columbia is in negotiations with the Trump administration to unfreeze the federal funding, but the group — made up of faculty at the Medical Center and the Columbia Climate School, as well as unions — say they’re worried about the impact on research that’s currently underway, including for Alzheimer’s disease and prevention, fetal health in pregnant women, and cancer research.

They also believe the cuts will impact patient care, including in Black and brown communities.

“The America that we know has a muscle that believes in knowledge, that believes in freedom, that’s the America we know, and that’s why we sued,” Randi Weingarten, president of American Federation of Teachers, said.

All this stems from what the Trump administration says is the Ivy League school’s inaction to combat antisemitism on campus, including during the widespread pro-Palestinian protests on campus last year. And it is happening against the backdrop of the White House targeting people who took part in the pro-Palestinian demonstrations with deportation.

The latest is a 21-year-old Columbia student, Yunseo Chung, a permanent legal resident who came to the U.S. when she was 7 years old. She filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration Monday arguing the government is trying to use immigration enforcement to suppress free speech.

The Department of Homeland Security says she was arrested during a protest. A federal New York judge ruled that she cannot be detained by immigration officials for now.

Meanwhile, Columbia faculty unions fear this is just the beginning, and accuse the Trump administration of an assault on higher education.

“No one at any university is safe, and indeed, no thinker, wherever they may be, will be protected. This is why what is happening here matters, and not just to us,” Marcel Agüeros, an astronomy professor at Columbia University, said.

Columbia faculty unions say they are in touch with Columbia administration about their concerns, and have had productive conversations with the university.