College protests updates: Police begin dismantling University of Chicago encampment

Police entered the campus encampment early Tuesday, WLS reported.

ByNadine El-Bawab, Bill Hutchinson, and Julia Reinstein
Last Updated: May 7, 2024, 2:01 PM EDT

Protests have broken out at colleges and universities across the country in connection with the war in Gaza.

Many pro-Palestinian protesters are calling for their colleges to divest of funds from Israeli military operations, while some Jewish students on the campuses have called the protests antisemitic and said they are scared for their safety.

The student protests -- some of which have turned into around-the-clock encampments -- have erupted throughout the nation following arrests and student removals at Columbia University in New York City. Students at schools including Yale University, New York University, Harvard University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Southern California and more have launched protests.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing.
Apr 30, 2024, 9:50 PM EDT

Columbia on authorizing NYPD to go on campus: 'We were left with no choice'

Columbia University has released a statement addressing its authorization to allow the NYPD on campus, saying the decision was "made to restore safety and order to our community."

In its statement, the university said after they learned protesters had entered Hamilton Hall last night and "occupied, vandalized, and blockaded" it, they were left with "no choice" but to allow the police in. The university also said in a statement that they believe "that the group that broke into and occupied the building is led by individuals who are not affiliated with the University."

"Columbia public safety personnel were forced out of the building, and a member of our facilities team was threatened. We will not risk the safety of our community or the potential for further escalation," the university's statement continued.

The university said in its statement the NYPD's presence is about the "actions of the protestors, not the cause they are championing."

"We have made it clear that the life of campus cannot be endlessly interrupted by protesters who violate the rules and the law," the statement read.

-ABC News' Joshua Hoyos

Apr 30, 2024, 9:46 PM EDT

NYPD expected to charge Hamilton Hall protesters with burglary, criminal mischief

Ahead of the move into Columbia University Tuesday evening, NYPD officials detailed what charges arrested protestors will face.

"For the individuals that are inside of Hamilton Hall they will be charged with burglary in a third degree, criminal mischief, and trespassing. For the individuals that are in the encampments outside they will be charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct," NYPD officials said.

Apr 30, 2024, 9:31 PM EDT

NYPD officers have entered Hamilton Hall through second-floor window

New York Police Department officers have entered Hamilton Hall through the second-floor window.

Apr 30, 2024, 9:13 PM EDT

NYPD moves in at Columbia, begins making arrests

NYPD officers stand guard as they evict a building that had been barricaded by pro-Palestinian student protesters at Columbia University in New York City on April 30, 2024. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)
NYPD officers stand guard as they evict a building that had been barricaded by pro-Palestinian student protesters at Columbia University in New York City on April 30, 2024. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP) (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)
Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images

New York Police Department officers have moved onto the Columbia University campus and have begun making arrests.

-ABC News' Aaron Katersky