More than a dozen individuals were taken into custody at Brooklyn College after a protest that saw demonstrators rallying around Palestinian flags and a multitude of banners, with one reading, "Stop cop city. Free Palestine." According to CBS News , seven people were arrested while seven others were issued summonses. The NYPD became involved after campus officials said the protesters ignored multiple warnings to take down tents and disperse, emphasizing the college's commitment to upholding both safety and free speech within CUNY policy guidelines.

Similarly, Columbia University saw its library becoming the stage of a pro-Palestinian demonstration which resulted in over 80 arrests. Eden Yadegar, a student caught in the midst of the upheaval, conveyed to "Fox & Friends" the intimidating nature of the situation as protesters conveyed slogans within Butler Library. The event which escalated to physical confrontations involved masked protesters and saw two campus public safety officers injured. Some of the demonstrators refused to comply with requests to show university IDs, leading to their characterization of the situation as being held "hostage," as The Post reported.

Graffiti within the library following the protest included "Free Gaza" and other slogans, and some of the protesters were identified as having been suspended in previous campus protests. Columbia's acting president, Claire Shipman, condemned the violence in a statement, asserting a rejection of antisemitism and discrimination. Shipman also mentioned that 900 students had been displaced from their study spaces due to the protest, as per reports by The Post . Amidst national scrutiny, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has mentioned that the government is looking into the immigration statuses of the individuals involved in the incident, according to a statement on X.

The protests are believed to be in support of Mahmoud Khalil and other students previously suspended for pro-Palestinian activism. In the wake of the protests, the university's acting president emphasized Columbias commitment to rejecting any form of harassment and discrimination while denouncing the shut down of the library during a critical time for students' academics. The NYPD's intervention, requested by university officials, led to the arrests and summonses being issued to regain control of the situation.