At least 80 people have been arrested following pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, the New York Police Department said on Thursday.
On Wednesday, protesters forced their way into Butler Library on the Columbia campus, injuring two security officers in the process. Protesters with the Columbia University Apartheid Divest group said in a statement they would "continue to disrupt Columbia's profits and legitimacy." The protesters also were openly defying new guidelines from the Trump administration banning masks on school grounds.
The NYPD said that those "who did not comply with verbal warnings" to disperse were taken into custody on Wednesday with 78 individuals issued an order to appear in court and two were given summonses.
The protests came the same week as the university announced it would be laying off close to 180 employees due to the Trump administration's pulling $400 million in federal funding over what it says is Columbia's inability to combat antisemitism on campus.
Columbia has been ground zero in the administration's crackdown on what it perceives as flagrant antisemitism on college campuses. In March, pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil was apprehended at his New York residence after the administration accused him of participating in the violent anti-Israel protests at Columbia last spring and distributing anti-Israel propaganda. His arrest sparked subsequent protests in April, when students chained themselves to the gates of St. Paul's Chapel on the university grounds.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said his agency will take immediate action on Wednesday's protests. "We are reviewing the visa status of the trespassers and vandals who took over Columbia University's library," Rubio posted on Wednesday. "Pro-Hamas thugs are no longer welcome in our great nation."
Acting Columbia University President Claire Shipman released a statement on the protesters, saying, "Disruptions to our academic activities will not be tolerated and are violations of our rules and policies. This is especially unacceptable while our students study and prepare for final exams."
Shipman replaced Katrina Armstrong, who resigned a little over six months into her role after the university agreed to some policy changes demanded by the Trump administration. Armstrong had replaced Minouche Shafik, who resigned amid last year's pro-Palestinian protests on campus.
The Trump administration's Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism said in a statement that it was encouraged by Shipman's prompt and forceful reaction.
"She has stepped in to lead Columbia at a critical juncture and has met the moment with fortitude and conviction. We are grateful for the public safety officers who acted swiftly, and at a danger to themselves, to secure the library and remove the radical protesters that had seized it," the statement read.