Travis County attorney to share update on UT protest cases

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Travis County attorney is set to share an update Wednesday afternoon about the dozens of criminal trespass cases related to protesters getting arrested almost two months ago at the University of Texas at Austin campus.

Delia Garza's office shared she will host a news conference at 3 p.m. in downtown Austin to talk about the arrests during the April 29 pro-Palestinian protests. KXAN will offer a live stream of her remarks in this story and on the station's Facebook page.

Law enforcement arrested 78 people that day who ended up facing a criminal trespass charge. Garza said her office would need more time to review the large volume of cases.

During an earlier round of UT protests on April 24, though, she said the cases stemming from the 57 arrests that happened would not proceed because they did not have “sufficient probable cause.” However, Garza said an initial review of the probable cause affidavits from the April 29 arrests did not reveal the same deficiencies as the earlier cases did, which got dropped.

A total of 79 people got arrested on April 29 after a group of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered on the South Mall, as some set up tents in the area. The group also used metal chains and tables in an attempt to barricade themselves on the lawn.

According to a UT source, 46 of the 79 people arrested that day were not UT students.

The university also defended bringing in both local and state police to respond, writing in a statement it "took swift action to preserve a safe, conducive learning environment for our 53,000 students as they prepare for final exams."