AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Marines have begun to spread across the country as protests over an immigration enforcement attack in Los Angeles, urging President Donald Trump to mobilize National Guard troops.
From Seattle to Austin to Washington, DC, the Marchers chanted slogans, signed against immigration and customs enforcement agencies, narrated traffic outside downtown avenue and federal offices. Many were peaceful, but some have led to clashes with law enforcement as officers arrested and used chemical stimulants to disperse the crowd.
Activists are planning even bigger demonstrations in the coming days, with a so-called “no-king” event on Saturday, in line with Trump’s planned military parade through Washington.
The Trump administration said it would continue its raids and deportation programs despite protests. “ICE will continue to implement the law,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted on social media on Tuesday.
Views of protests occurring nationwide:
Austin
Four Austin police officers were injured, and authorities used chemical stimulants to disperse a crowd of hundreds of demonstrators on Monday night, moving between the state Capitol and the federal building that houses the ice office. State officials had closed the Capitol to the public early in anticipation of protests.
Austin police used pepper spray balls, and state police used tear gas when demonstrators began trying to taint federal buildings with spray paint. Protesters then began to throw rocks, bottles and other things at police barricades, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said. Three officers were injured in a “very large” rock, while the other was injured during the arrest, she said.
Austin police arrested eight people, and state police arrested several more. Davis said her department is geared up for the planned protest downtown Saturday.
“We support peaceful protests,” Davis said. “When that protest becomes violent, when it turns into a rock or a bottle throwing…. It’s not tolerated. An arrest is made.”
Dallas
The protest lasted several hours, with hundreds gathering hundreds at City Bridge before Dallas police declared it an “illegal legislature” and warned people to leave or face the possibility of arrest.
Dallas police initially posted on social media that officials would not interfere with “legal and peaceful gatherings of individuals or groups expressing their right to amendments.” However, officers later moved, and local media reported that they saw people in the crowd throwing things as officers used pepper spray and smoke to clean the area. At least one person has been arrested.
“Peaceful protests are legal,” Republican Gov. Greg Abbott posted on X.
Seattle
About 50 people gathered outside the immigration court in downtown Seattle on Tuesday, chanting on the drums, lifting signs saying, “Let’s release everything, abolish the ice” and “deportation.” The protests were initially peaceful, but protesters began placing scooters in front of the entrance to the building before police arrived.
Along with students from the University of Washington democratic society, Matthew Chabaugh said they are in solidarity with the protesters in Los Angeles.
Typically, no legal advocates who attend immigration court hearings as observers and provide assistance to immigrants were permitted within the building. Security Guard has also left the media. The hearing is usually open to the public.
Santa Anna
In Santa Ana, near Los Angeles, armored vehicles blocked the road Tuesday morning, leading to a civic center where federal immigration officials and numerous city and county agencies have offices.
Workers wiped out plastic bottles and broken glass from Monday’s protest. Small pieces of red, black and purple glass were scattered across the pavement. Nearby buildings and sidewalks were tagged with indecent graffiti slogans to the ice, and Trump’s name was erased.
Workers rolled up paint over the graffiti on the wall to block it. National guards wearing fatigue and carrying rifles prevented people from entering the area unless they were working there.
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Associated Press writers Martha Belisle of Seattle and Amy Taxin of Santa Ana, California.
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