LAPD officers clad in riot gear arrived at USC early Sunday morning to disband a pro-Palestinian encampment.
"LAPD are here. We are ready for them," an encampment spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times.
Video footage revealed dozens of officers in riot gear, along with fire crews, surrounding the camp. USC issued an alert warning people to leave the central campus area or face arrest.
Some 30 protesters exited the encampment as the LAPD forced them toward a campus entrance.
Last month, Los Angeles police arrested 93 students for trespassing as they cleared a previous encampment set up at the center of campus.
But protesters recreated the encampment last weekend, prompting a campus-wide letter from USC President Carol Folt warning the site's survival would be short-lived.
"The university is legally obligated to ensure that students, faculty, and staff can move freely throughout our campus while pursuing their studies, work and research," she warned. "Every part of our campuses, including Alumni Park, must be fully accessible and free from vandalism and harassment."
USC student journalists reported that Assistant Director of the USC Village Residential Colleges Nancy Alonzo also warned on site that the encampment "has to go down. As we have mentioned before, your encampment and acts of vandalism and the theft of university property violate policies and the law."
She said an "alternative free speech area" had been established by the university for the the encampment. It was not immediately clear where it was located.
But students said they would not move the current site from behind the university's Leavey Library.
"Protest locations cannot be dictated by the people in power because then it's no longer the freedom to protest and assemble," said a spokesperson.
Another said protesters were resolute despite the police: "There is fear in the air. There is confidence. There is passion. We are emboldened to stand up for the people in Gaza."
The protester added: "No matter how this occupation goes down, it's still a win for us because we have caused disruption and discomfort to the USC administration. We have ended business as usual for the past few weeks."
Heightened controversy was triggered late last month after USC banned a planned speech by valedictorian Asna Tabassum at the May 10 commencement due to "unspecified safety threats." Pro-Israel groups had criticized Tabassum for a link on her Instagram profile to a pro-Palestinian website.
The university later cancelled its full commencement ceremony.
Encampments continue across California campuses, including UC Irvine, Occidental College, Sacramento State, San Francisco State, and others.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators are calling for an end to Israeli military operations in Gaza and advocating for divestment from Israel and related companies.
