Joe Biden Issues Decision on Sending National Guard to Campus Protests

President Joe Biden said he will not deploy the National Guard to respond to ongoing pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses across the United States.

During a press conference on Thursday, Biden was asked if he thinks the National Guard should "intervene" in the protests, to which he responded "no," just before walking out of the room.

Recent pro-Palestinian protests have broken out at schools such as Columbia University, Northwestern University, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Protesters have called on the schools to divest from Israel amid the nation's war against Hamas militants in Gaza.

Newsweek reached out to the White House via email for comment.

The Context

Tensions across college campuses have remained high since October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel that left 1,200 people dead and saw over 200 more taken hostage. More than 34,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza since the war began, the Associated Press reported, citing local health officials.

Over 250 protesters at Columbia University were arrested this week after taking over an academic building and barricading themselves inside.

"Approximately 300 people were arrested at Columbia and City College," New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on Wednesday. "We are processing the arrests to distinguish between who we're actual students and who were not supposed to be on the ground."

What We Know

According to the National Guard website, "the President can activate the National Guard to participate in federal missions, both domestically and overseas. When federalized, Guard units fall under the same military chain of command as active duty and reserve troops."

In his press conference on Thursday, Biden said that he is in support of peaceful protests but noted that "it's against the law when violence occurs."

"Destroying property is not a peaceful protest, it's against the law. Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses, forcing the cancellation of classes and graduations, none of this is a peaceful protest," Biden said.

Update 5/2/24, 11:40 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.

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