A civil rights investigator at Kansas State University who two years ago was sharply criticized for writing social media posts supporting Hamas after it attacked Israel is coming under renewed opposition.
Opposition to Derron Borders’ employment at Kansas State University has been percolating on the internet since at least mid-August but has started to escalate with Republican candidates now voicing their opposition to his work with the state.
Borders went to work as an investigator in K-State’s Civil Rights and Title IX office in May 2024, according to the university’s website. Efforts to reach Borders at his office Tuesday and Wednesday were not successful. Someone at the civil rights office said he was not in the office on either day.
Borders previously worked as the director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University where his social media posts made headlines in the New York Post.
“When you hear about Israel this morning and the resistance being launched by Palestinians, remember against all odds Palestinians are fighting for life, dignity, and freedom — alongside others doing the same — against settle colonization, imperialism, capitalism, white supremacy, which the United States is the model,” Borders wrote on his Instagram story, according to the newspaper
“F–k your fake outrage at Palestine when you’ve literally been silent about the violence perpetuated by Israel against Palestine every day,” Borders wrote on the day of the Hamas invasion of Israel that killed 1,200 Israeli citizens, visitors, guest workers and soldiers.
He later posted that the Hamas attack was inexcusable, but with a disclaimer.
“The atrocities and violence towards innocent people in Israel is absolutely horrifying and should be condemned,” he wrote.
“The state-sanctioned violence and denial of self-determination for the Palestinian people by the Israeli government is also terrible and should be condemned,” the newspaper reported that Borders posted.
At that time, Cornell University told the newspaper that it was aware of Borders’ posts but said he was an employee who had been on a leave of absence from the university for several months. The college did not elaborate further.
Now, the issue has surfaced in Kansas with leading Republican candidates for governor latching on to the New York Post story and other internet posts that suggest an even deeper support for anti-Jewish related groups.
The issue started surfacing as early as Aug. 21 when a group called Jews Fight Back called attention to Borders’ hiring on X to its more than 77,000 followers.
“On Oct. 7, while Jews were being raped, burned alive and kidnapped by Hamas, Borders called the massacre ‘resistance’ and said ‘Fuck your outrage at Palestine,'” the group’s post said last month.
“And Jewish students are expected to REPORT antisemitism to him? The fox IS in the henhouse,” the group said.
There have since been mass emails going to select lawmakers and various higher education officials rallying opposition to Borders. Efforts to contact the organizers that campaign by email were not successful.
Senate President Ty Masterson was first asked about the internet posts Tuesday morning and responded by mid-afternoon, calling on K-State to investigate Borders’ background.
“I’m troubled that an individual with extremist ties was hired by Kansas State University to investigate complaints,” Masterson said in an email.
“His biases clearly demonstrate an inability to fairly address student issues. I’m concerned about K-State’s hiring practices and who else with similar views may have been hired.”
He expressed concern that Border’s views conflicted with a new state law declaring that antisemitism and antisemitic acts are against the public policy of the state, including, but not limited to, public educational institutions and law enforcement.
“I urge K-State to conduct a swift investigation. I will continue to monitor this closely,” Masterson said Tuesday afternoon.
A university spokesperson said Tuesday morning that the school was aware of a recent media story as well as emails opposing Borders that were sent from a mass mailer tool to individual email accounts.
“As this is a private personnel issue, the university cannot provide any information,” a spokesperson said.
By Tuesday night, the opposition to Borders intensified with former Gov. Jeff Colyer, another major GOP candidate for governor, weighing in on social media.
He called for an investigation and Borders’ immediate firing if the allegations were true.
“We cannot allow this kind of radicalism to undermine our values in Kansas,” Colyer posted on the social media platform X.
“When I’m governor, every Kansas school will prioritize real education over radical indoctrination,” he posted.
“No more allowing far-left extremists to push their agendas on our kids.”
Other Republican candidates for governor were equally critical.
“It is unconscionable and unprofessional to hire such a person to investigate civil rights issues on behalf of the university, especially when his views on Jews and Israel were public knowledge,” Secretary of State Scott Schwab said Tuesday night.
“Antisemitic views, such as those by Mr. Borders, has led to the targeting of Jewish students and staff across college campuses, including here in Kansas,” he said in a statement.
“Kansas State University must move swiftly to address this matter and explain how Mr. Borders was hired and how they will address the issue of antisemitism amongst staff moving forward. This feeds the global intifada,” he wrote.
Johnson County businessman Philip Sarnecki, who just announced his candidacy for governor, also condemned Borders’ hiring.
“There is absolutely no place for pro-terrorism on our college campuses,” he said in a statement. “How did a terrorist sympathizer get hired at K State?
“If the reports are true, Borders should be fired immediately.”
The nonprofit group Combat Antisemitism Movement – founded to battled hatred against the Jewish community – issued a statement Wednesday morning calling for an investigation into Borders’ hiring.
“Mr. Borders now serves in a role investigating civil rights and Title IX complaints. No Jewish student, or any student holding views contrary to his, can have confidence in the fairness of such investigations,” said David Soffer, the group’s director of state engagement.
“His comments after Oct. 7 alone should have disqualified him from this position of trust,” Soffer said.
“The information about his public statements was readily available. If the university failed to review it, that is a serious lapse. If it did review it and hired him anyway, that is deeply troubling,” Soffer said.
