-(1).png?trim=13,0,14,0&width=1200&height=800&crop=1200:800 "Mapped: the 40 cities where anti-ICE protests have taken place across the US – UK Times")
Los Angeles remains the epicenter of unrest after protests erupted in the wake of a string of raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Friday.
Now, demonstrations have been sparked across the country, with dozens reported in at least 23 states since Friday.
The first protests followed after crowds attempted to thwart ICE agents’ detention efforts in downtown LA last week. On Saturday, President Donald Trump caused fresh outrage after announcing his plan to deploy the National Guard before later mobilizing the U.S. Marines.
Dozens of demonstrations have erupted around the country, both in solidarity with the LA protesters and as part of a broader protest against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
After a week of unrest, The Independent has identified anti-ICE protests in at least 40 U.S. cities since Friday.
So far, they have been spread across 23 states, with the highest concentrations in Texas, California, Oregon, and Pennsylvania.
There have been at least 565 arrests so far at various protests, mainly in LA, with as many as 30 people arrested Wednesday in Spokane, Washington, following a significant police response.
Other marches also took place on Thursday across the U.S. from Anchorage to Chicago.
The nationwide demonstrations have varied in size, with some cities reporting dozens or hundreds of protesters.
Meanwhile, other areas have seen thousands of protesters take to the streets, with the National Guard called in to two cities and hundreds of arrests made nationwide.
Around 1,900 “No Kings” rallies across all 50 states will coincide with a multi-million dollar parade for the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary in D.C. on Saturday, which critics have billed as an extravagant birthday bash for Trump.
Chicago, Illinois
Thousands of protesters marched through downtown Chicago on Tuesday. Demonstrations were largely peaceful, but Fox News reported that some protesters vandalized police vehicles with the network adding that there had been some physical altercations.
Seventeen arrests were made on Wednesday as thousands flooded the streets at Federal Plaza. Four were charged with felonies, including aggravated battery of a police officer. Multiple vehicles were tagged with anti-ICE graffiti.
On Thursday, hundreds of demonstrators displaying signs and chanting through the streets with one group at Michigan Avenue chanting: “Donald Trump, you’re a clown. Immigrants will take you down.”
Denver, Colorado
Hundreds gathered outside the Colorado Capitol in Denver on Tuesday, according to CBS News, for largely peaceful protests.
Reports say that protesters spilled into the streets, but no widespread unrest was reported.
Later that evening, Denver Police reportedly used smoke and pepper balls to disperse the crowd. Eighteen arrests were made Tuesday, police said.
In nearby Aurora, home to Colorado’s only ICE detention center, an additional 150 people joined the protest, according to local news reports.
New York City
Around 20 anti-ICE protesters were also led away by police in New York, following demonstrations in Manhattan on Monday.
The following morning, two dozen people were arrested during a sit-in protest at Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue.
Clashes broke out between police and protesters near an ICE office on Tuesday, which saw demonstrators thrown to the ground as police tried to handcuff them. Others lobbed water bottles at officers.
The NYPD prepared for further anti-ICE protests Thursday after demonstrators marched from Foley Square before moving down Broadway, and later up to the Manhattan Detention Center.
Atlanta, Georgia
A rally began on Monday outside the ICE office in Atlanta, with protesters calling for the end of immigration raids and the release of the detained union leader, David Huerta, in California.
Hundreds of protesters gathered Tuesday night along Buford Highway in Brookhaven. Many carried signs and chanted in English and Spanish during the march, denouncing the Trump administration’s stringent deportation efforts.
Officials say that they arrested six people after protesters failed to leave after the rally’s designated cut-off point and clashed with law enforcement officials.
Spokane, Washington
After a protest Wednesday afternoon outside an ICE office in Spokane, Mayor Lisa Brown imposed a curfew in the city’s downtown area running from 9.30 p.m. until 5 a.m. Thursday.
More than 30 protesters were arrested, and officers deployed “pepper balls” on the crowd, according to Spokane Police Chief Kevin Hall.
Brown told reporters that the curfew is meant to “protect public safety,” adding that the vast majority of protesters were peaceful
What is happening in Los Angeles?
The protests in LA are expected to enter their seventh day on Friday.
More than 700 Marines awaited deployment in Los Angeles on Friday, marking the latest escalation of Trump’s response to the immigration raid protests.
Around 400 people involved in protests have been arrested by the LAPD alone, according to CNN.
Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, enforced a curfew for a third night in a portion of downtown LA in response to looting and vandalism.
The curfew is currently in place from 8.00 p.m. Thursday to 06:00 a.m. Friday local time, which is expected to continue for several more days.
Trump has maintained temporary control of the National Guard in Los Angeles, an appeals court has ruled, in a major blow to California Governor Gavin Newsom.
