New York Mayor Eric Adams pledged to ensure that this year’s graduation ceremonies in the city won’t be disrupted by violent protests over the war in Gaza, saying no one should be allowed to threaten commencements.

“We will make sure it’s done in a peaceful manner,” Adams said Sunday on ABC’s "This Week." Graduations are “a wonderful experience” and “I don’t think we should allow anything to get in our normal way of life,” he said. “We will do our job.”

Adams stance contrasts with the University of Southern California, which canceled its main commencement ceremony citing safety concerns after police arrested more than 90 protesters.

Los Angeles police cleared out protest camps Sunday at the University of Southern California campus, aided by USC public safety officers. The university said the campus remains closed, though smaller USC graduation ceremonies remain on the schedule this week.

Universities across the U.S. have faced wrenching decisions in dealing with a wave of pro-Palestinian campus protests as Israeli forces have pursued military assault in Gaza following an attack by Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7.

New York police entered Columbia on Tuesday to remove protesters who had occupied a university building. About 300 people were arrested at Columbia and City College. Columbia president Minouche Shafik is allowing the NYPD to stay on campus for two weeks, including commencement on May 15. New York University’s graduation is scheduled for the same day.

Representative Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California, said Sunday that the “few” protesters inciting violence or engaging in antisemitism “are diminishing the thousands of young people who simply want the war to end.”

“We have to understand that this a defining moment for this generation,” he said on CBS’s "Face the Nation." “I’m proud of a lot of the young people who want to end the war, but they need to show the discipline.”

Khanna is among 88 House members, including prominent progressive Democrats, who urged Biden last week to threaten Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with restrictions on U.S. offensive weapons deliveries if Israel hampers humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Senator John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat who has criticized the unrest, questioned why protesters aren’t demanding that Hamas accept a cease-fire proposal that’s on the table. “The situation could end right now if Hamas just surrendered and they just sent all of those hostages home again,” he said on "Face the Nation."

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