Multiple celebrities have taken to social media to express solidarity with immigrants, as massive protests opposing President Donald Trump have swept the United States.
ICYMI, Trump’s controversial immigration policies — spearheaded by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — have become a source of much civil unrest over the past few days, culminating in anti-ICE protests across Los Angeles last week.
The protests were in reaction to ICE officers who carried out a series of raids across LA, which saw them apprehend and arrest over 100 immigrants across sites like Home Depot, 7-11 and even a doughnut shop.
In response, Trump made the unprecedented decision to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops to LA to quell the protests, a move which California Governor Gavin Newsom — who opposed the deployment — described as “purposefully inflammatory”.
Now, days later, hundreds of protests are again taking place across the US, in reaction to a military parade organised by Trump and currently underway in Washington DC.
Trump’s military parade, which coincides with his 79th birthday, saw a lavish display of military might as tanks and troops rolled through Washington’s streets — but the parade was marred by counter-protests in New York, Philadelphia, Houston, Seattle and LA, among many other US cities.
According to the BBC, millions took to the streets across hundreds of cities, as part of the “No Kings” protests opposing Trump’s ICE policies.
It’s reported that the protests mark the largest since Trump came to power for a second time back in November.
Coinciding with the anti ICE-protests, celebrities like Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, Gracie Abrams, Kendall Jenner and Jenna Ortega have shared messages in support of immigrants.
“I’ve lived in LA my whole life and I’m deeply upset about these violent deportations of my neighbours under the current administration,” Rodrigo wrote on her Instagram Stories.
“I stand for our right to freedom of speech and freedom to protest.”
Ortega, meanwhile, wrote that “the world is crying all over” and encouraged followers to “listen to one another and love, but be angry too.”
Elsewhere, Carpenter and Jenner directed fans to resources which support immigrant communities, before Addison Rae described feeling “disappointed and disturbed by what is happening across our nation”.
“This country could not exist without immigrants. Every human being deserves the right to exist in an environment that makes them feel safe, lovingly protected, and embraced,” Rae wrote on Instagram.
Abrams, meanwhile, was spotted at one “No Kings” protest, and so too were the likes of Mark Ruffalo, Anna Kendrick and Jimmy Kimmel (per The Hollywood Reporter).
During his address at the conclusion of the military parade, Trump said (per ABC), “If you threaten the American people, our soldiers are coming for you.”
“Your defeat will be certain. Your demise will be final, and your downfall will be total and complete.”
Earlier this week, the president warned that protesters at his military parade would be met with “heavy force”, but that evidently didn’t stop his opponents showing up in their millions.
Lead image: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images and Instagram
The post Celebs Pledge Solidarity With Immigrants As Anti-Trump Rallies Sweep The US appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
