Hundreds of individuals flooded a significant Los Angeles freeway on Sunday morning, inflicting vital site visitors disruptions as they demonstrated in opposition to US President Donald Trump’s immigration insurance policies. The protest, which was a part of a broader motion in opposition to the administration’s crackdown on unlawful immigration, additionally sparked rallies in Riverside, San Diego, and Dallas.
The demonstration started round 9 am on Olvera Avenue, with protesters waving Mexican flags and carrying indicators criticising Trump’s insurance policies. Inside half an hour, the Los Angeles police division (LAPD) introduced avenue closures resulting from what they described as a “non-permitted demonstration blocking site visitors.” The California Freeway Patrol (CHP) additionally urged motorists to keep away from downtown Los Angeles as they labored to regain management of the scenario.
Movies circulating on social media confirmed demonstrators marching onto the 101 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles, briefly shutting it down between I-110 and Mission Street. Some protesters had been seen spraying graffiti on freeway partitions and vandalising a automotive caught within the crowd. Officers in riot gear engaged in a tense standoff with the demonstrators, urging them to clear the freeway.
CHP issued a warning on X, saying, “Please keep away from the 101 freeway in DTLA between I-110 and Mission Rd., as we work to take away a protest from the freeway. Accessing state highways or roads to protest is illegal and intensely harmful as a result of it places protesters, motorists, and first responders at nice threat of damage.”
The demonstration was a part of a wave of protests that erupted in varied cities over the weekend. In Riverside, tons of gathered at an intersection as passing motorists honked in help. In San Diego, demonstrators rallied close to town’s conference centre. In the meantime, in Texas, roughly 1,600 individuals participated in two protests in downtown Dallas in opposition to latest arrests made by US immigration and customs enforcement (ICE).
Protesters carried banners with messages akin to “No human is illegitimate on stolen land” and “Combat ignorance, not immigrants.” The demonstrations underscored rising opposition to Trump’s aggressive immigration insurance policies, which have led to widespread ICE raids and detentions.
Because the begin of the brand new administration, ICE has arrested over 7,400 undocumented immigrants nationwide inside a span of 9 days. Practically 6,000 ICE detainers have additionally been issued. The Trump administration has signalled plans for mass deportations and has urged sending probably the most violent undocumented immigrants to Guantánamo Bay. Homeland safety secretary Kristi Noem mentioned that authorities are specializing in concentrating on the “worst of the worst.”
The protests drew sharp criticism from conservative figures on social media. The favored account “Libs of TikTok” posted, “They shut down freeways and cease site visitors in probably the most congested cities within the US to attempt to persuade us to not deport them. This is not gonna finish nicely.” Conservative influencer Benny Johnson echoed related sentiments, saying, “Not solely are they illegally in our nation, they’re now illegally blocking roads. This is not going to finish nicely for them.”
The Trump administration’s newest immigration crackdown has drawn condemnation from a number of Democratic leaders, who’ve vowed to push again in opposition to deportation efforts. White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that deportation flights have already begun, sharing photographs of undocumented immigrants boarding army plane.
California governor Gavin Newsom’s workplace declined to touch upon the protests, referring inquiries to the California freeway patrol. In the meantime, Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass was not out there for remark.
As tensions proceed to mount over immigration insurance policies, Sunday’s protests spotlight the rising division over Trump’s method. With demonstrators taking to the streets in a number of states, the immigration debate reveals no indicators of cooling down.
