Anti-ICE protests escalate in Los Angeles as Marines prepare for deployment
(CNN)-Chants of “ICE! ICE!” and “Please go home” echoed through downtown streets as protesters called for an end to immigration enforcement policies they say unfairly target nonviolent migrants. LAPD declared an unlawful assembly shortly before the city’s curfew went into effect, citing public safety concerns.
“Once nightfall comes in particular, we start to see others come out who are intent on violence and intent on disruption,” said LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell. He noted that while daytime demonstrations have remained largely peaceful, some individuals arrive after dark armed with weapons. That stands in sharp contrast to scenes from earlier in the day, which included peaceful gatherings and music.
“The vast majority of demonstrators are law-abiding,” McDonnell said. “Our role is to protect everybody’s First Amendment rights, and a lot of people have come out and respected that and expressed their feelings in a peaceful way.”
Although the LAPD has not yet requested support from the National Guard, federal authorities are preparing for possible escalation. U.S. Northern Command announced that Marines will be deployed to the city before the end of the week.
At the White House, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described the protests in harsher terms, saying, “Left wing radicals waving foreign flags viciously attacked ICE and Border Patrol agents as well as Los Angeles police officers.”
Similar protests have broken out across the country. In Spokane, Washington, an emergency curfew was issued last night amid rising tensions. In Indianapolis, demonstrators gathered outside an NBA Finals game to voice their demands. Protesters say their goal is simple: stop deportations of nonviolent migrants.
“None of my family are criminals,” said Keily Verastegui, a protester in Raleigh. “If anything, they’re the hardest working people I’ve ever seen in my life.”
