Pro-Palestinian protesters gather at Collin County jail as UT Dallas arrestees are released

McKINNEY, Texas - Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the Collin County jail all day Thursday as they waited for pro-Palestinian protesters arrested at UT Dallas to be released.

The 21 students and faculty members are charged with misdemeanor criminal trespassing for setting up tents and barricades on the campus.

The suspects were released one by one throughout the day to cheers from their supporters. Many wanted to be shielded from public view.

The supporters held up flags and chanted at law enforcement officers to let those arrested go. Some even slept outside the jail overnight.

One protester who spoke to FOX 4 said their message will not change, and they will continue to fight.

"Regroup and plan the next steps. Ultimately, we’re not going to stop until we see justice for the people of Palestine and we’re not going to stop until the U.S. stops prioritizing Israelis over its own cities," said Mohammed Ayachi. 

The first defendant released today was UT Dallas Art History professor Ali Asgar Alibhai.

Reunions throughout the day were filled with emotional hugs.

UTD History professor Ben Wright was one of the last to be released in the afternoon.

UTD senior Mousa Najjar told FOX 4 that the court outcome was different for each person. He was released on personal recognizance, which means he did not have to post bond.

"Students demanded the university divest and President Benson responded with calling state troopers on his own students," said Najjar. "We made sacrifices for Palestinian cause, some are sacrificing their own lives. This is the least we could do for our people in Gaza, Palestine abroad."

While DPS troopers were on the UTD campus on Wednesday, UT Dallas officers were the ones who made the arrests at Chess Plaza.

The location is in Dallas County, so some have questioned why the protesters were taken to Collin County Jail.

On Thursday, a spokeswoman with the Collin County Sheriff's Office told us the defendants were booked in Collin County because the arrests were made within 500 feet of the Collin County line.

There was another protest scheduled for Thursday at the University of Texas at Dallas. It was postponed. 

UT Dallas has not yet said if the faculty members or students who were arrested will face any discipline from the university for the alleged criminal trespassing.

Who are the UT Dallas protesters?

According to the UTD Police Department, 19 people are charged with criminal trespass, which is a misdemeanor crime.

The majority are college-aged and have local addresses, but it's not clear if they are students at the university.

The youngest was 18 years of age, while the oldest was 44.

The Mercury, UTD's student newspaper, reported three staff members were among those detained by police.

Ali Asgar Alibhai, an assistant professor for art history, and Rosemary Admiral, an assistant professor, are charged with criminal trespass, according to Collin County jail records. 

Associate history professor Ben Wright was booked into the jail but no charges are listed.

UT Dallas encampment torn down, protesters arrested

Nearly 20 people were arrested on the UT Dallas campus Wednesday afternoon after setting up an encampment.

The university had warned the group that they were violating campus policy and could be charged with criminal trespassing if they didn’t remove it.

When no one moved, UTD called Richardson police, the Collin County Sheriff’s Office, and the Texas Department of Public Safety for help.

The officers arrived in armored vehicles with riot gear on. They listened to pleas from the protesters but ultimately began dismantling the tents and used bolt cutters to remove what protesters had chained to trees.

Some students said the demonstration on Wednesday was a continuation of their fight. While other Jewish students on campus said they felt threatened.

"This is a student collective to continue the pressure on administration that we placed last week in terms of demanding their support in our divestment campaign," said Noor Saleh, a UTD graduate student.

"I’m very glad that UT Dallas brought in law enforcement when they did as we’ve seen how the trajectory has gone on other campuses when they’ve let it continue to go," said Nathaniel Butterfield, another graduate student.

The protesters moved to the student union and by 10 p.m. the campus was calm. 

But some said they spent the night in the rain waiting for their fellow protesters to be released from jail. 

President Biden, Donald Trump on College Protests

The Associated Press says more than 2,000 people have been arrested at campus protests across the country.

The ugliest clash between protesters and police was pre-dawn at UCLA on Thursday. More than 200 people were arrested there.

President Biden addressed the unrest from the White House on Thursday.

"Dissent is essential to democracy, but dissent must never lead to disorder or to denying the rights of others so students can finish their semester and their college education," Biden said.

The president defended the right to protest but added that chaos has no part in peaceful protests.

"We are not an authoritarian nation where we silence people or squash dissent. The American people are heard. In fact, peaceful protest is in the best tradition of how Americans respond to consequential issues, but neither are we a lawless country," he said.

When asked if he would activate the National Guard, President Biden said no.

As wide as the divide over the Israel-Hamas war, so too is the divide between President Biden and former President Donald Trump over what's playing out at colleges and universities.

"These are radical left lunatics, and they have to be stopped now. It's going to go on and on, and it's going to get worse and worse," said Trump.

Increasingly, police commands have been defied, occupying parts of campuses with encampments, or taking over parts of buildings and barricading themselves to keep law enforcement out.

"Keep in mind that everyone who has been arrested everywhere across this country, they've all been arrested because they either had tents that violated a rule or were told to move by police officers and refused to move. No one is being arrested for their speech because they can't be arrested for their speech," said Ken Paulson, the director of the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University.