Protests are roiling college campuses nationwide as administrators with graduation ceremonies next month face demands that schools cut financial ties to Israel against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war.

About 275 people were arrested Saturday at campuses including Indiana University at Bloomington, Arizona State University and Washington University in St. Louis. Those have pushed the number of arrests nationwide to nearly 900 since New York police removed a pro-Palestinian protest encampment at Columbia University and arrested more than 100 demonstrators on April 18.

Since then, students have dug in at dozens of pro-Palestinian encampments around the country, prompting a range of responses from administrators: arrests and criminal charges, student suspensions or simply continued pleas to leave. The plight of students has become a central part of protests, with both the students and a growing number of faculty demanding amnesty. At issue is whether the suspensions and legal records will follow students through their adult lives.

After being rousted by police from a different location last week, an encampment returned to Yale University Sunday afternoon. Pedestrians were blocked from what was described by students as a “liberated zone” on campus, according to the Yale Daily News, but there was no immediate response from the school’s administration. 

The White House national security spokesman, John Kirby, said President Biden “knows that there are very strong feelings” but would leave managing the protests to local authorities.

“People should have the ability to air their views and to share their perspectives publicly but it has to be peaceful,” Mr. Kirby said on ABC’s “This Week.”

In an interview that aired Sunday, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell called it “a dangerous situation” and placed the responsibility with college administrators. “There’s also antisemitism, which is completely unacceptable. I’ve been shocked to see that in this country,” he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Protesters opposing and supporting Israel shouted and shoved each other during dueling demonstrations Sunday at the University of California, Los Angeles. Local media showed footage of police setting up barricades before hundreds of people on both sides joined a growing crowd at UCLA’s Dickson court, near where pro-Palestinian students have been staying around-the-clock in tents. Counter-protesters who organized a “Stand in Support of Jewish Students” rally said their goal was to “stand up against hatred and antisemitism.”

Across town, the University of Southern California said on X that its University Park campus was again open to students, staff, faculty and registered guests. USC announced restrictions on nonresidents Saturday after USC property was vandalized by members of a group the university said “has continued to illegally camp,” disrupt operations and harass people.

Students declined USC President Carol Folt’s invitations to meet, and the administration hoped for “a more reasonable response Sunday before we are forced to take further action,” said Joel Curran, senior vice president of communications.