Protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spread to more American cities on Monday as clashes between activists and law enforcement continue to rage in Los Angeles.
ICE agents attempting to make sweeping arrests of undocumented migrants in the California city as part of President Donald Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown on Friday met with mass resistance from local residents, which has led to four days of dramatic and occasionally violent confrontations on the streets.
Trump has responded by sending in the state National Guard while the Pentagon has placed 700 active-duty Marines on standby to support the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD)’s efforts to maintain order.
Now the unrest has reached other locations including New York City, Austin, Texas, and Santa Ana, California.
In the Big Apple, around two dozen demonstrators swarmed the lobby of Trump Tower in Manhattan on Monday afternoon to demand the release of people deported to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT maximum security prison.
“We are demanding that the administration bring back everyone from CECOT to the United States, release them ICE custody, return them to their homes and families and allow them their day in court,” a woman leading the protest said.
Activists also gathered outside the Jacob K Javits Federal Building and near City Hall Park in Lower Manhattan, where politicians and union leaders addressed the crowd.
Mayor Eric Adams said unrest akin to that seen in Los Angeles would not be tolerated in New York.
“Keeping the people of our city safe has always been my North Star. That means keeping people safe from violent protests and it means protecting people who are trying to do the right thing by protesting peacefully for what they believe,” he said.
“But two wrongs do not make a right. I understand that some New Yorkers may be angry, afraid and ready to express that. New York City will always be a place to peacefully protest, but we will not allow violence and lawlessness.”
In Austin, police were forced to use pepper spray and tear gas to disperse protesters that had gathered at the Texas Capitol before marching on to the city’s JJ Pickle Federal Building, where ICE has its local headquarters.
Back in California, several people were arrested near the Santa Ana Federal Building as part of a crowd that swelled from 100 to more than 1,000 by evening.
Some demonstrators were accused of throwing objects at police, including fireworks.
Solidarity demonstrations have also been held in other major U.S. cities like San Francisco, Sacramento, Houston, San Antonio and Chicago.
The Service Employees International Union has meanwhile published a live map of further planned events on its website following the arrest and subsequent release of its president David Huerta in Los Angeles on Friday.
“What happened to me is not about me; This is about something much bigger,” Huerta said in a statement issued shortly after his arrest.
“We all collectively have to object to this madness because this is not justice.”
