Nationwide pro-Palestinian protests have escalated, prompting concerns about campus safety and calls for intervention from the National Guard. House Speaker Mike Johnson raised the possibility of National Guard deployment, invoking memories of tragic incidents in the 1970s when students were killed by the National Guard during anti-war demonstrations. The protests, which began at Columbia University, have gained momentum at other institutions, including the University of Southern California and the University of Texas in Austin, where hundreds of protesters rallied, leading to arrests and campus closures. Student protesters express solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and call for universities to divest from entities tied to Israel, while pro-Israel supporters highlight antisemitic incidents and advocate for campus security.