May 2, 2024 - US college protests

Law enforcement has been seen entering an encampment on UCLA's campus. A CNN team on the scene saw law enforcement entering the site where pro-Palestinian protesters had set up.

Hours earlier, police deemed the pro-Palestinian encampment on campus an unlawful assembly, a source told CNN. Police typically take this step before ordering people to disperse or face arrest.

This comes after hundreds of demonstrators were arrested in 24 hours as protests against Israel's bombardment of Gaza disrupt university campuses across the United States.

While the demands among protesters vary at each university, the majority of demonstrations have called for colleges to divest from companies that support Israel and the war in Gaza.

Here are the latest developments on campuses nationwide:

University of Arizona: Law enforcement used pepper balls and rubber bullets against protesters Wednesday, the university said in a statement.

In New York, after about 300 protesters were arrested late on Tuesday at Columbia University and City College. There are still unanswered questions about how many of those who occupied Hamilton Hall at Columbia were students and how many were not.

Fordham University: At least 15 people were arrested after dozens of protesters set up an encampment inside the university's Lowenstein building, according to a statement from the school. The school asked the New York Police Department to be on campus through at least May 22.

University at Buffalo: Approximately 16 people were arrested Wednesday night after a pro-Palestinian protest at the university's North Campus, the school said in a release.

Dartmouth College: Ninety people were arrested at Wednesday's pro-Palestinian protest on suspicion of committing offenses including criminal trespass and resisting arrest, police in the New Hampshire town of Hanover said.

University of Texas at Dallas: At least 17 arrests have been made at the campus as of Wednesday evening, school officials said.

University of Wisconsin-Madison: Several protesters were arrested Wednesday, Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin said in a letter to the campus community. 

Protesters supporting those inside the UCLA encampment can be heard chanting "peaceful protest," CNN video shows. 

Crowds of people packed together can be seen gathering around a staircase leading up to the area of the encampment. 

A CNN team on campus has seen law enforcement entering the UCLA encampment where pro-Palestinian protesters are set up.

More to come.

UCLA Police have repeated their calls for protesters at the university encampment to disperse.

A CNN team on site heard at least two dispersal orders made by university police over the past hour.

Some protestors can be heard chanting "shame on you" at police on campus.

A few hours ago, UCLA police told those in the encampment to leave over loudspeaker.

Police are warning those in the encampment they may be "in violation of the law and subject to administrative actions."

Speaker Mike Johnson is zeroing in on the wave of pro-Palestinian protests that have rocked college campuses across the United States as he looks to unify his fractured House Republican conference, which has been bitterly splintered for months – all while exposing divisions within the House Democratic caucus.

Johnson, who is poised to face a referendum on his rookie speakership as soon as next week, has used the weight of the speaker’s office to launch a multi-faceted investigation into the clashes at American universities.

That includes tapping committee chairs to beef up oversight of federal funding for schools; hatching plans to haul in college presidents for hearings; exploring additional legislation to address antisemitism; and dispatching key Republicans to visit campus encampments and demonstrations.

With multiple committees involved in the effort, Johnson is coordinating the work behind the scenes and making the House-wide investigation a new focal point of the GOP agenda, which has largely been stalled over the past few months.

The effort could not only shore up much-needed support for Johnson inside his fractured conference – which has struggled to pass even basic procedural votes and messaging bills – but could also appeal to key voter constituencies, including moderates, independents and suburban parents, ahead of the November elections.

Read the full story.

Earlier this year, an 18-year-old high school senior from New York City had planned to enroll at Columbia University’s sister school Barnard College in Manhattan as an early decision student. But after her parents saw heightened tensions over the Israel-Hamas conflict surface across some US campuses, including at Barnard and Columbia, they went back to her list.

The student, who spoke to CNN under the condition of anonymity over privacy concerns, ultimately chose Brandeis University in Massachusetts, one of only two schools on the Anti-Defamation League’s 2024 list of 85 colleges that received an A grade for its response to antisemitic incidents on campus and its support for Jewish students.

Other families also have been grappling with where to send their high school students in the fall as campus protests continue to play out at schools around the country, even as the final deadline fast approaches.

Mimi Doe – the co-founder and CEO of Top Tier Admissions, whose admission experts help students get into their college of choice – told CNN some students have already reconsidered where to attend, particularly when it comes to enrolling at Columbia University.

Read the full story.

Ninety people were arrested at Wednesday's pro-Palestinian protest at Dartmouth College on suspicion of committing offenses including criminal trespass and resisting arrest, police in the New Hampshire town of Hanover said.

The arrests came after tents were erected during a protest on the Dartmouth Green — a move that the campus safety department said would not be allowed, Hanover police said.

Hanover police and New Hampshire State Police also told people to leave, and "while some chose to leave, many stayed," leading to the arrests, the release reads.

Those arrested included Dartmouth students and those who don't attend the college, police said.

Video from CNN affiliate WMUR showed police pulling protesters one-by-one from the crowd gathered on the Dartmouth Green and detaining them with zip ties Wednesday night.

Protesters could be heard chanting “Free Palestine” while holding banners and flags.

State police had been deployed to Dartmouth due to “illegal activity and at the request of local law enforcement,” the New Hampshire Department of Safety told CNN.

While law enforcement officers appear poised to clear protesters from an encampment at UCLA, on-campus demonstrators who are outside the encampment have been chanting in support of those inside it.

"We're not leaving!" the demonstrators outside the encampment chanted repeatedly Wednesday night.

Earlier Wednesday, authorities had staged at least seven prisoner transport buses in the parking lot of the FBI's Los Angeles field office, approximately 1 mile from UCLA, according to aerial footage from CNN affiliate KABC.

Hundreds of demonstrators have been arrested in the last 24 hours as protests decrying Israel's bombardment of Gaza continue at university campuses across the nation.

The majority of demonstrations have called for the divestment from companies that support Israel and the war in Gaza.

At the University of California, Los Angeles, where there's a large law enforcement presence, police have declared the pro-Palestinian protest on campus an unlawful assembly, a source told CNN. That's a step typically taken before individuals are ordered to disperse or face arrest. 

Meanwhile, at the University of Arizona, law enforcement used pepper balls and rubber bullets against protesters Wednesday, the university said in a statement.

In New York, after about 300 protesters were arrested overnight Tuesday at Columbia University and City College, there are still unanswered questions about how many who occupied Hamilton Hall were students and how many were not. Discussions are ongoing about what will happen with graduation, the ongoing NYPD presence on campus and the university’s next steps.

Here are the latest developments:

City College of New York: The university is surveying damage from several buildings and grounds after demonstrators smashed glass doors, graffitied walls and ransacked public property Tuesday night, the university said in a statement Wednesday.

Columbia University: President Minouche Shafik addressed the campus community in a letter released Wednesday, noting that the "drastic escalation" of protests "pushed the University to the brink." The school is holding final exams but going fully remote for any exams on the main campus, according to a letter sent to students.

Dartmouth College: Multiple people were arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest at Dartmouth College on Wednesday night, according to CNN affiliate WMUR.

Fordham University: At least 15 people were arrested after dozens of protesters set up an encampment inside the university's Lowenstein building, according to a statement from the school. The school asked the NYPD to be on campus through at least May 22.

University at Buffalo: Approximately 16 people were arrested Wednesday night after a pro-Palestinian protest at the university's North Campus, the school said in a release.

University of California, Los Angeles: Police are warning those in the encampment they may be "in violation of the law and subject to administrative actions." The Los Angeles Police Department has also issued a city-wide "tactical alert" related to a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA, a law enforcement source told CNN. 

University of New Hampshire: State police were deployed to the University of New Hampshire and Dartmouth College due to “illegal activity and at the request of local law enforcement,” the New Hampshire Department of Safety told CNN. The university said it will protect free speech on campus but "will not allow it to be co-opted by a small group of protesters, including outside agitators.”

University of Texas at Austin: An Austin Fox 7 television photojournalist was charged with two misdemeanors following his arrest at the University of Texas at Austin last week, according to a statement from the Texas Department of Public Safety on Wednesday.

University of Texas at Dallas: At least 17 arrests have been made at the campus as of Wednesday evening, school officials said.

University of Wisconsin-Madison: The university is investigating "bias reports involving individuals from outside of our campus community," Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin said in a letter to the campus community Wednesday. At least 34 people were arrested, a majority of whom "were released with no citation issued," according to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department.