2 days ago
Roundup: Cities across U.S. brace for more protests against ICE raids
by Xinhua writer Xia Lin
NEW YORK, June 11 (Xinhua) -- More protests against immigration enforcement raids are planned across the United States this week, after many of the kind have sprung up nationwide from Los Angeles to Seattle, Austin, Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C., with some of them peaceful while others resulting in clashes with law enforcement.
Activists are planning more and even larger demonstrations in the coming days, with "No Kings" events across the country on Saturday to coincide with U.S. President Donald Trump's planned military parade through D.C., according to The Associated Press (AP). The Trump administration said it would continue its program of raids and deportations despite the protests.
"Cities across the United States were bracing for a new round of immigration protests on Wednesday after the Los Angeles mayor imposed an overnight curfew downtown and Governor Gavin Newsom of California blamed President Trump for unrest that began with deportation raids last week," reported The New York Times.
In San Antonio, protests against immigration raids are planned Wednesday night and on Saturday, but Mayor Ron Nirenberg said that city officials did not ask for the Texas National Guard to be deployed in advance. Governor Greg Abbott's office said that National Guard troops were "on standby" in areas where demonstrations are planned. That came after police in Austin used chemical irritants to disperse several hundred demonstrators on Monday near the state Capitol.
In Los Angeles, a sixth day of protests is planned downtown and near federal buildings. In Eugene, Oregon, several groups including the Party for Socialism and Liberation, which calls for the end of capitalism, said they planned to hold a solidarity protest in the city. In Mission Viejo, California, a protest is planned for Orange County, according to the local branch of the 50501 Movement, which was formed against the Trump administration's "anti-democratic" actions.
In Raleigh, North Carolina, hundreds of people are expected to gather in downtown Raleigh Wednesday evening, spurred in part by anger over a state immigration bill. In Seattle, the Party for Socialism and Liberation is among the groups behind a planned "ICE Out" protest in the city against ICE. In St. Louis, Missouri, a "NO ICE" protest is planned for this week, according to U.S. media reports.
Meanwhile, Trump left open the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, which authorizes the president to deploy military forces inside the United States to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations. "It's one of the most extreme emergency powers available to a U.S. president," noted AP.
Tuesday night, Los Angeles police swiftly enforced a downtown curfew, making arrests moments after it took effect, while deploying officers on horseback and using crowd control projectiles to break up a group of hundreds of demonstrators. Immigration raids across Southern California are rattling the area's immigrant communities, even among those in the country legally. More than 100 people have been detained since Friday.
New York City police detained more than 80 people during protests around Lower Manhattan's Foley Square against federal immigration enforcement actions Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the vast majority of demonstrators were peaceful. She blamed smaller groups for causing disorder that required police intervention.
By Tuesday night, demonstrations against the Trump administration's immigration crackdown have intensified and spread far beyond Los Angeles, with thousands of people gathering in at least two dozen U.S. cities, holding banners and chanting slogans like "Stop the Deportation Now" and "Abolish ICE."
