For the fifth consecutive day, significant protests were held in several cities across the United States in opposition to President Donald Trump’s ongoing fascist mass deportation operation and Republican efforts to establish a presidential dictatorship. In many cases, demonstrations that began with only a few dozen people in the afternoon quickly swelled to hundreds, or even thousands as workers got off work.
The size and scale of the protests underscore the unpopularity of the attacks on immigrants. Thousands of people, immigrant and native-born alike, are willing to stand and fight for the democratic rights of all.
The protests are unfolding in the face of an unrelenting and fascistic police rampage, backed by the entire political establishment. On Monday night, the LAPD stormed through the Little Tokyo district in Los Angeles, assaulting protesters, bystanders and residents alike.
Throughout Monday night and into Tuesday morning, Los Angeles police fired thousands of supposedly “less lethal” rounds and CS gas canisters at protesters and observers. Video footage confirms that police are refusing to identify themselves before shooting individuals—who pose no threat—at close range with these so-called non-lethal weapons.
Seeking to accommodate and accelerate Trump’s plans for dictatorship, Democratic Mayor Karen Bass announced on Tuesday “a curfew for downtown Los Angeles to stop the vandalism, to stop the looting.”
Expressing extreme concern for “businesses” while saying nothing about the workers and families being abducted, Bass lamented: “Many businesses have now been affected by, or vandalized.”
Flanked by LAPD officers, Bass somberly noted, “The graffiti is everywhere and has caused significant damage to businesses and a number of properties.”
Bass said the curfew would begin at 8 p.m. tonight and continue until at least 6 a.m. tomorrow, adding that she expects it “to last for several days.”
Since June 6, an estimated 350 people have been arrested in Los Angeles. In San Francisco, police claim to have arrested over 150, while double-digit arrests have also been reported in New York City and Austin, Texas. In just these four cities alone, more than 540 arrests have been reported over the past five days.
In the face of police violence and mass arrests, protests continued in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Demonstrations again centered around the Federal Building, where ICE is conducting operations in coordination with the Los Angeles Police Department, the California National Guard, and now a detachment of 700 US Marines from Twentynine Palms, California.
Protesters— as has been the case every day—are overwhelmingly peaceful. One demonstrator, who did not wish to be named, told World Socialist Web Site reporters that he had been peacefully protesting outside the Federal Building every day since Friday, but was arrested on Sunday. He said police were “poking and prodding” at these “small women” and eventually “grabbed one of them by the hair.”
“So I grabbed her backpack and pulled her in, and when I pulled her in, I got pulled out.” He said police issued him a citation and kept him in jail for two days.
A middle school teacher at the Los Angeles protest told WSWS reporters, “It is not OK that ICE is in Los Angeles detaining people and denying people their constitutional rights.” He noted that “many of our students have voiced ... genuine concerns that they are afraid their undocumented family members are going to get picked up.”
On Monday, Department of Homeland Security agents visited two elementary schools in Los Angeles and attempted to gain access to students, some as young as first grade (5-7 years old). After being denied entry by school staff, including teachers and principals, the DHS agents refused to identify themselves before leaving.
Another protester at the Los Angeles rally told WSWS reporters, “We need leadership. I know Newsom, he’s talking ... but there is no change at all.”
He added, “They just arrested a union leader, so I think a general strike is a great idea. I think showing them that the working class are the people that hold the power in the country is important.”
In New York City, thousands of protesters gathered Tuesday evening for a rally in Foley Square in lower Manhattan, followed by a march through the streets. The rally took place outside two federal buildings: 26 Federal Plaza, which houses ICE’s regional office, and 290 Broadway. Over the past three weeks, ICE agents have abducted hundreds of immigrants at both locations following court hearings and routine check-ins.
The large protests came in defiance of Trump’s dictatorial move to federalize the California National Guard and deploy Marines to Los Angeles. Many signs and chants expressed solidarity with immigrants and protesters there, while vowing to resist ICE in New York City. Both Los Angeles and New York are major immigrant centers, where more than one-third of the population is foreign-born.
Signs and slogans highlighted the fact that the United States is a nation of immigrants, and echoed back calls to abolish ICE and vowed to fight fascism.
Following this weekend’s meeting between NYPD Chief of Police and President Donald Trump on a golf course in New Jersey, NYPD officers have effectively transformed the federal complex in lower Manhattan into an armed camp. This week, groups of 20 to 30 officers have stood in formation in front of the federal buildings, with much of the area barricaded. On Monday, the NYPD arrested more than 30 people at two locations: in front of the federal buildings and at a sit-in at Trump Tower.
Outside 26 Federal Plaza on Tuesday night, police again rioted against protesters, violently attacking them on the sidewalk. Several were arrested, though the exact number remains unclear.
In Chicago, tens of thousands—mostly young people—marched downtown, shutting down parts of the Loop and expressing determined opposition to the kidnapping of immigrants by ICE, the deployment of police and military forces against protesters in Los Angeles, and the ongoing genocide.
The march was likely the largest in Chicago since Trump’s 2017 inauguration. Workers and youth carried signs denouncing capitalism and oligarchy, along with the warning: “Immigrants today, citizens tomorrow.”
Around 6:30 p.m., a car drove through the march, striking a 66-year-old and breaking their arm.
A Chicago teacher said, “I am here because I want my students to know it’s okay to stand up for themselves and go against the government when people are being wronged… to be more of a leader than someone who’s just teaching them the history and not doing anything about it.”
In Omaha, Nebraska, hundreds gathered to protest ICE raids conducted at four meatpacking plants earlier in the day. As of this writing, it remains unclear how many workers were disappeared by ICE agents. The agency initially claimed it had taken 97 workers for “additional screening,” and at least 70 were seen being loaded onto a white immigration prison bus.
Protesters in Omaha waved Mexican and American flags and carried signs reading, “Abolish ICE” and “Family separation must end.”
In Atlanta, Georgia, hundreds also rallied peacefully in defense of immigrants and the democratic rights of all. Hand-made signs read: “I ❤️ due process,” “Without immigrants there would be no USA,” and “The criminals are in the White House.”
Despite the peaceful character of the protests, heavily armed riot police have been deployed to the area.