In an updated statement about the protests, an Emory University spokesperson said several dozen protesters "trespassed" into Emory's campus on Thursday morning to set up tents on the school's quad.
"The activists who initially gathered were not recognized as members of our community and were disrupting the university as our students finish classes and prepare for finals," the statement said.
Members of the Emory community later joined the initial group, according to the spokesperson.
Pro-Palestinian protesters clashed with police at the Georgia university on Thursday. Police used pepper spray and pepper balls to clear the area of demonstrators, a CNN team on the scene reported.
The statement said "a couple dozen people" were taken into custody after the Emory Police Department notified them they were trespassing and the people refused to leave.
CNN previously reported that at least two professors were arrested during the protest, but the university spokesperson declined to share information about exactly how many people were taken into custody and what, if any, charges were filed.