NEW YORK -- The NYPD has been given permission to enter the Columbia University campus amid ongoing protests.
An alert sent from the school Tuesday urged students on the Morningside campus to "shelter in place for your safety due to heightened activity" and "avoid the area until further notice."
NYPD given permission to enter Columbia University campus
Hundreds of NYPD officers were seen outside the campus gates around 9 p.m. Tuesday.
The city has a letter in hand from Columbia authorizing it to send the NYPD on to campus, according to a senior city official.
Students were seen being brought out in handcuffs. It is unclear how many arrests have been made at this time.
NYPD officers were seen driving an Emergency Service Unit to reach a window of Hamilton Hall and enter the building around 9:30 p.m.
This comes after groups of demonstrators forced their way into the building and locked themselves inside early Tuesday. Protesters overnight smashed windows and doors and have been refusing to leave ever since. Furniture could be seen boarded against doors, and supplies were being lifted up to people inside the building via a rope and pulley.
Hamilton Hall is across from the school's main lawn, where a tent encampment has been set up for about two weeks.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and local law enforcement officials say "outside agitators" have "co-opted" the on-campus protests. At a press conference Tuesday, they urged Columbia student protesters to leave the area "before the situation escalates in any way."
Police have set up barricades all around the university's perimeter, where some protesters were gathering Tuesday evening.
Columbia University student protesters arrested
The NYPD had previously been called in by Columbia University President Minouche Shafik on April 18 when pro-Palestinian demonstrators first set up their unsanctioned tent city on the school's lawn. In a letter, Shafik wrote in part, "The encampment and related disruptions pose a clear and present danger to the substantial functioning of the University ... With great regret, we request the NYPD's help to remove these individuals."
Over 100 people were arrested. Most of them were given summonses for trespassing, and Shafik said participating students would be suspended.
In the following days, the encampment was set back up and grew even larger.
What is happening at Columbia University?
Pro-Palestinian protesters have been calling on Columbia to divest from companies doing business with Israel.
Negotiations between school officials and student protest organizers were held in an attempt to reach an agreement for the dismantling of the encampment, but on Monday, officials announced that the talks had failed.
Despite being instructed to pack up the tents by Monday afternoon, protesters refused to comply and later forced their way into Hamilton Hall.
The NYPD stated that individuals inside Hamilton Hall could potentially face charges of burglary, criminal mischief, and trespassing, while those in the encampments may be charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct.
Columbia University officials have stated that students found inside Hamilton Hall could be expelled, and those who refuse to leave the encampment are facing suspension. Additionally, seniors may be deemed ineligible to graduate.
President Shafik acknowledged the students' right to protest but mentioned that the demonstration has negatively impacted some Jewish students and has become a distraction during final exams.
Governor Kathy Hochul commented that the incidents at Hamilton Hall involved vandalism and violence, leaving the decision on how to address the situation in the hands of the university.
