Nationwide protests against immigration raids escalate, leading to arrests and curfews
By JIM VERTUNO
Associated Press
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Protests over federal immigration enforcement raids are flaring up around the country as officials in cities from coast to coast get ready for major demonstrations against President Donald Trump over the weekend.
While many demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been peaceful, others led to clashes with police who sometimes used chemical irritants to disperse crowds. Hundreds have been arrested.
Trump has ordered the deployment of roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles following protests over his stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily blocked a federal judge’s order that had directed Trump to return control of National Guard troops to California, shortly after the judge had ruled the Guard deployment was illegal and both violated the Tenth Amendment and exceeded Trump’s statutory authority.
The White House called the order “unprecedented” and said it “puts our brave federal officials in danger.” The federal government immediately filed an appeal.
The court said it would hold a hearing on the matter June 17.
Volatile protests prompted officials to enforce curfews in Los Angeles and Spokane. Republican governors in Texas and Missouri mobilized National Guard troops to be ready to help law enforcement manage demonstrations in those states.
Activists are planning “No Kings” events across the country on Saturday to coincide with Trump’s planned military parade in Washington, D.C. Those were already scheduled but will happen amid the week’s rising tensions.
The Trump administration said immigration raids and deportations will continue.
A look at some recent protests and reactions across the country:
Las Vegas
Police said 94 people were arrested on “various criminal and traffic” charges, and four officers were injured in a Wednesday night protest. Some in the estimated crowd of about 800 threw bottles and rocks at officers, police said.
A crowd gathered near the city’s federal courthouse and blocked several streets before police declared an unlawful assembly. Local media reported that tear gas, flash-bang grenades and rubber bullets were used to disperse the protesters.
Chicago
Hundreds of demonstrators packed a park plaza near Lake Michigan on Thursday. Veronica Castro, an organizer with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, urged people to learn how to protect themselves and elected officials to speak out.
The group later marched along the city’s iconic Michigan Avenue. They were flanked by their own security marshals and Chicago police officers on bicycles and in slow-moving patrol cars.
Seattle
Hundreds of protesters marched through downtown Seattle Wednesday evening to a federal building where immigration cases are heard. Some of them set a dumpster on fire. The building was covered in graffiti, with “Abolish ICE Now” written in large letters across its front window.
Dozens of officers squared off with protesters near the building, some shooting pepper spray. Some protesters threw fireworks and rocks at officers, police said.
Spokane, Washington
Mayor Lisa Brown imposed an overnight curfew in downtown Spokane after a protest Wednesday outside an ICE office that ended with more than 30 arrests and police firing pepper balls at the crowd.
Brown said the majority of protesters were peaceful.
“We respect their right to peacefully protest and to be upset about federal policies,” she said. “I have been that person who has protested federal policies and that is a right we have.”
San Antonio
Several hundred protesters marched through downtown San Antonio and near the historic Alamo mission. Although Texas National Guard troops were seen in the area, the demonstration was mostly peaceful.
The Alamo building and plaza, among the state’s most popular tourist attractions, was closed to the public. Police guarded the property as the crowd marched nearby.
Tucson, Arizona
A protest Wednesday outside an ICE office in Tucson, Arizona, turned into a clash between masked security officers and demonstrators who blocked a roadway, threw balloons filled with paint and spray painted anti-ICE graffiti on the gates and walls of the facility.
Video clips showed a security officer who was hit with a water bottle. Masked protesters held makeshift shields as they inched toward the security team, and a team member set off what appeared to be a flash-bang device.
Anchorage, Alaska
A small group of demonstrators held their fourth straight day of protests Thursday outside the Anchorage Correctional Complex, where ICE has detained nearly 40 people. Using a bullhorn aimed at the front doors of the facility, demonstrator Courtney Moore declared, “ICE out of Anchorage, ICE out of Alaska.”
Betsy Holley, a spokesperson with the Alaska Department of Corrections, said 39 people were in ICE custody of ICE at the Anchorage jail. The department said its facilities will be on lockdown through the weekend as a “proactive response to calls for grassroots protests across the state.”
‘No Kings’
This week’s protests are leading into the scheduled “No Kings” demonstrations that organizers say are planned in nearly 2,000 locations around the country, according to the movement’s website.
Organizers plan a flagship march and rally in Philadelphia, but no protests are scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C., where the military parade will be held.
In Florida, state Attorney General James Uthmeier warned that any “No Kings” protesters who become violent will be dealt with harshly.
In a message sent Thursday, a Justice Department official told U.S. attorneys across the country to prioritize cases against protesters who engage in violence and destruction. The email cites several potential federal charges, including assault, civil disorder and damage of government property.
Governors and the Guard
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe mobilized National Guard troops in their states ahead of the weekend demonstrations.
Abbott said more than 5,000 Guard troops and more than 2,000 state police would be ready to help local law enforcement if needed.
Several “No Kings” rallies are planned in Texas, and there were brief clashes between protesters and police in Austin and Dallas this week.
Kehoe called his decision a “precautionary measure” and did not provide specific troop levels or duties.
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Sophia Tareen in Chicago; Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington; Curt Anderson in Tampa, Florida; Jacques Billeaud in Phoenix; David Lieb in Jefferson City, Missouri; Rio Yamat in Las Vegas; Mark Thiessen in Anchorage, Alaska; and Lisa Baumann and Gene Johnson in Seattle contributed.
