Protests against immigration raids spring up in cities across U.S.

CBS News

a day ago

Protests that sprang up in Los Angeles over immigration enforcement raids and prompted President Trump to mobilize National Guard troops and Marines have begun to spread across the country, with more planned into the weekend.
The protests in Los Angeles began Friday as Immigration and Customs Enforcement executed several raids in and around the country's second-largest city. The raids and protests continued throughout the weekend sometimes resulting in clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement, prompting the Trump administration to mobilize thousands of National Guard troops despite California Gov. Gavin Newsom not requesting them and later asking Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to withdraw the orders.
More demonstrations against the immigration raids began popping up in other cities, including Austin, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco, this week.
Activists are planning more and even larger demonstrations in the coming days, with so-called "No Kings" events across the country on Saturday to coincide with Mr. Trump's planned military parade through Washington.
The Trump administration said it would continue its program of raids and deportations despite the protests. "ICE will continue to enforce the law," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted Tuesday on social media.
Here are some of the other protest that have emerged across the country:
Austin
A protest on Monday began at the Texas State Capitol and then moved through downtown Austin, CBS affiliate KEYE-TV.
Four Austin police officers were injured and authorities used chemical irritants to disperse a crowd of several hundred demonstrators who made their way to the J.J. Pickle Federal Building, which houses an ICE office. State officials had closed the Capitol to the public an hour early in anticipation of the protest.
Austin police used pepper spray balls and state police used tear gas when demonstrators began trying to deface the federal building with spray paint. The demonstrators then started throwing rocks, bottles and other objects at a police barricade, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said. Three officers were injured by "very large" rocks and another was injured while making an arrest, she said.
Austin police arrested eight people, and state police arrested four others, bringing the total number of arrests to 12. Davis said her department is prepared for Saturday's planned protest downtown.
"We support peaceful protest," Davis said. "When that protest turns violent, when it turns to throwing rocks and bottles .... That will not be tolerated. Arrests will be made."
One protestor told KEYE, "Change will only happen when we keep putting pressure on the people in power. The police, ICE, politicians, everyone. We have to actually stand our ground and go beyond just words."
Dallas
A protest that drew hundreds to a rally on a city bridge lasted for several hours Monday night before Dallas police declared it an "unlawful assembly" and warned people to leave or face possible arrest.
Dallas police initially posted on social media that officers would not interfere with a "lawful and peaceful assembly of individuals or groups expressing their First Amendment rights." But officers later moved in and local media reported seeing some in the crowd throw objects as officers used pepper spray and smoke to clear the area. At least one person was arrested.
"Peaceful protesting is legal," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, posted on X. "But once you cross the line, you will be arrested."
Seattle
About 50 people gathered outside the immigration court in downtown Seattle on Tuesday, chanting with drums and holding up signs that said "Free Them All; Abolish ICE" and "No to Deportations." The protest was initially peaceful but protesters began putting scooters in front of the entryways to the building before police arrived.
Mathieu Chabaud, with Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Washington, said they were there in solidarity with the protesters in Los Angeles, "and to show that we're opposed to ICE in our community."
Legal advocates who normally attend the immigration court hearings as observers and to provide support to immigrants were not allowed inside the building. Security guards also turned away the media. The hearings are normally open to the public.
Santa Ana, California
In Santa Ana near Los Angeles, armored vehicles blocked the road Tuesday morning leading into the Civic Center, where federal immigration officers and numerous city and county agencies have their offices.
Workers swept up plastic bottles and broken glass from Monday's protests. Tiny shards of red, black and purple glass littered the pavement. Nearby buildings and the sidewalk were tagged with profane graffiti slogans against ICE and Trump's name crossed out.
A worker rolled paint over graffiti on a wall to block it out. National Guard officers wearing fatigues and carrying rifles prevented people from entering the area unless they worked there.
Boston
Hundreds of people gathered in Boston's City Hall Plaza on Monday to protest the detainment of union leader David Huerta Friday during immigration raids in Los Angeles.
Protesters held signs reading "Massachusetts stands with our neighbors in Los Angeles" and "Protect our immigrant neighbors," and shouted "Come for one, come for all" and "Free David, free them all."
Huerta, president of Service Employees International Union California, was released from federal custody later Monday on $50,000 bond.
"An immigrant doesn't stand between an American worker and a good job, a billionaire does," said Chrissy Lynch, President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO.
Dave Foley, the president of SEIU Local 509, told the crowd, "Trump and his ICE regime have been tearing families apart and wreaking havoc across the country including our own neighborhoods."
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu showed support for the protest and criticized ICE's tactics and the deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles, CBS Boston reported.
"It's important not to get bullied out of saying what we see with our own eyes," Wu said. "Secret police do not make communities safer."
Washington, D.C.
Several unions gathered Monday in Washington to protest the raids and rally for Huerta's release, and marched past the Department of Justice building.
Among the demonstrators was U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat from Washington state.
"Enough of these mass ICE raids that are sweeping up innocent people," Jayapal said. "As we see people exercising the constitutional rights to peacefully use their voices to speak out against this injustice, they are being met with tear gas and rubber bullets."
San Francisco
Hundreds of people marched through San Francisco's Mission District on Monday, which marked the second straight day of demonstrations, CBS Bay Area reported.
While 154 people were arrested during demonstrations on Sunday, San Francisco police noted the Monday demonstration was "overwhelmingly peaceful." Several people were arrested again Monday after police said some people "committed vandalism and other criminal acts."
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has said he would protect the rights of residents to hold demonstrations, but that the city will "never tolerate violent and destructive behavior.
New York City
Demonstrators gathered at Foley Square in downtown Manhattan on Tuesday night, continuing protests that popped up in previous days in New York City.
More than a dozen people were arrested on Monday, including 24 people who were taken into custody during a sit-in outside of Trump Tower, CBS New York reported.
"We're here to say that we want full rights for all immigrants. We want to stop the raids and the deportations, and get the National Guard and the military out of L.A.," one protester told CBS New York on Tuesday.