Donald Trump has activated more than 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines to quell Los Angeles protests over immigration enforcement. The Los Angeles Police Department has made nearly 400 arrests and detentions since Saturday in connection to immigration protests. The vast majority arrests have been for failing to leave the area in defiance of requests from law enforcement, according to police. There have been a handful of more serious charges including for assault against police officers and for possession of a Molotov cocktail and a gun.

The Los Angeles Police Department has made nearly 400 arrests and detentions since Saturday in connection to immigration protests. The vast majority arrests have been for failing to leave the area in defiance of requests from law enforcement, according to police. There have been a handful of more serious charges including for assault against police officers and for possession of a Molotov cocktail and a gun.

Hundreds march through downtown LA demanding ICE, the National Guard and Marines leave the city. The mood was exuberant and festive, with demonstrators pausing in front of City Hall for a Mexican line dance, backed by trumpet players, drummers and loud truck speakers.

“This is not a war zone,” said Yaneth Bonilla, a 50-year-old lifelong resident of Los Angeles, whose parents immigrated from Mexico. Members of her family were afraid to leave the house, she said, fearful they would be picked by ICE. “We have to realize Trump is going after innocent, hardworking people,” she added. “That's why we're here.”

The curfew for a section of downtown Los Angeles will begin for a second night at 8 p.m. PDT. Hundreds of protesters converge outside San Antonio City Hall

More than 400 people were at the anti-ICE demonstration Wednesday evening, according to local authorities. The protest was largely peaceful, with many blasting music and some handing out water. Nearby streets were closed off as law enforcement watched from hundreds of feet away.

Dozens of the demonstrators had walked to City Hall from the Alamo after police there closed off the area where a protest was scheduled to take place. Trump administration calls Newsom's lawsuit a ‘crass political stunt'

California Gov. Gavin Newsom's sued the Trump administration in an effort to stop the military helping immigration agents in Los Angeles. The administration's official response on Wednesday says that President Donald Trump is “exercising his lawful statutory and constitutional power to ensure that federal personnel and facilities are protected.”

Trump has activated more than 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines to quell protests over immigration enforcement. The lawsuit argues that the deployment of troops trampled on the state's sovereignty and pushes for a restraining order.

In the Trump administration's response, it called this “unprecedented,” saying: “It would be constitutionally anathema. And it would be dangerous.” A judge has set a hearing for Thursday. Demonstrators critical of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency returned to lower Manhattan on Wednesday evening, a day after dozens of protesters were detained.

Groups of people chanting and holding anti-ICE signs once again gathered around the area of Foley Square. New York City police did not immediately have information about possible arrests. Police detained more than 80 people during protests Tuesday evening into early Wednesday.

More than two dozen officers with the Texas Department of Public Safety told a small group of protestors that the Alamo in San Antonio, where a demonstration was planned to take place, was closed.

Dozens of people gathered hundreds of feet outside of the Alamo holding signs in support of immigrants and in opposition to President Trump. “I think the National Guard made a lot of people afraid,” Pinky Ochoa, 21, said at City Hall, where another protest was scheduled to take place.

“I think a lot of people fear what's going to happen,” Pedro Ruiz, 53, said about the mostly quiet downtown. Officers with the Public Safety Department said the Texas National Guard was present at a protest in downtown San Antonio. Members were not seen standing with law enforcement in front of a small crowd of demonstrators.

LA top prosecutor expects to file dozens of criminal cases against peaceful protest disruptors. District Attorney Nathan Hochman highlighted five cases brought in recent days, with charges including assault, grand theft and felony vandalism.

In one case, suspects allegedly shot fireworks at police officers. Two other defendants are accused of driving their motorcycles into a line of officers. Hochman said investigators were reviewing video from demonstrations that turned violent over the weekend and more charges are pending. He said people are encouraged to engage in peaceful demonstration, “but the moment they engage in illegal acts, they are no longer legitimate First Amendment protestors. They are criminals.”

The vast majority of arrests have been for failing to leave the area in defiance of requests from law enforcement, according to police. There have been a handful of more serious charges including for assault against police officers and for possession of a Molotov cocktail and a gun. Nine police officers have been wounded, most were minor injuries and some were transported to a hospital and released.

About 500 National Guard troops in LA are trained to accompany agents on immigration raids. The commander in charge said while some troops have already gone on such missions, he said it's too early to say if that will continue even after the protests die down.

Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, speaking in an interview with The Associated Press and ABC, also warned that he expects the protest situation will escalate, noting that protests across the nation are being planned and discussed now. “I'm focused right here in LA, what's going on right here," Sherman said. "But you know, I think we're, we're very concerned.”

Sherman, commander of Task Force 51 that is overseeing the Guard troops and Marines deployed to LA, initially said that National Guard troops had already temporarily detained some civilians. He later said he was incorrect, and that he had based his comments on photos and footage he had seen that turned out to not be a representation of Guard members in Los Angeles.

Some of those arrested in connection with downtown protests during rush hour Tuesday were charged for vandalism, police say. Four people face felony charges, including for aggravated battery against an officer of the peace.

Thousands of people demonstrated in a downtown plaza to call out the Trump administration's immigration operations and his move to dispatch dispatching the military to California. Chicago leaders say the majority of protesters were peaceful and exercising their First Amendment rights.

Texas governor refuses to disclose details of his National Guard mobilization plan. Speaking at a bill-signing news conference Wednesday, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott would not say how many guard members will be used or how. He added only that they will be in “strategic locations where they can provide the most robust response” if needed.

“There are others outside of this room who would like to know that. And I'm not going to tell them,” Abbott said. Protests are planned in San Antonio on Wednesday night and in other cities around the state this weekend. San Antonio officials have said they didn't ask for the Guard to be sent.

“We want to make sure that what has happened in California does not happen in Texas,” Abbott said.

The mayor said an overnight curfew for downtown neighborhoods will remain in effect indefinitely. Bass said officials will consider lifting it if there are fewer arrests Wednesday night. “What I'm hoping is that Angelenos got the message last night,” she said. How long it will remain in place also depends on the response by the federal government, Bass said. “If there are raids that continue, if there are soldiers marching up and down our streets, I would imagine that the curfew will continue,” she said.

City leaders say ICE raids have been happening outside Home Depots and churches. “Maybe we are part of a national experiment about how far to determine the federal government can go in reaching in and taking over power from a governor, power from a local jurisdiction,” Mayor Karen Bass said.

Mayors who joined her said immigrants are vital for the economy, including harvesting food for the country. “We are not criminals. We are hard working people. We came to the United States to work, to better our families,” said South Gate Mayor Maria Davila.

Many of the city leaders said raids have been happening outside Home Depots, churches and other businesses. A woman who was nine months pregnant and a man dropping off his granddaughter were among those detained, they said. LA police say they detained over 200 people and two officers were injured. The vast majority of people -- 203 -- were detained for failing to disperse Tuesday, and 17 others for violating the curfew that set in at 8 p.m. over part of Los Angeles, police said in a statement Wednesday.

Police arrested several more people for possessing a firearm, assaulting a police officer and shining a laser at a police “airship.” Police said they used “numerous” less lethal munitions to control the crowd. Two officers were injured Tuesday, bringing the total number injured over the past several days of protests to nine.

At Wednesday's Houston City Council meeting, Mayor John Whitmire did not specifically mention the possibility of Texas National Guard troops being sent to the nation's fourth-largest city ahead of any protests. City leaders expressed their confidence in the Houston Police Department being able to monitor any protests.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's office says National Guard troops are “on standby” in Texas in areas where demonstrations are planned. “We're so prepared,” Whitmire said. “We have such a great police department, a diverse police department that has so much experience. We have a history of peaceful demonstrations brought about by the faith community, our civic leaders, our political figures. And we're going to continue down that path.”

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says the city's police have responded appropriately in managing crowds at immigration protests in recent days. The demonstrations have been in response to aggressive immigration arrests in the city and in solidarity with Los Angeles. The largest Chicago gathering was downtown Wednesday when thousands gathered in a downtown plaza and onto surrounding streets during the evening rush hour. There were some incidents of vandalism, and one 66-year-old woman was injured when she was hit by a car. “The vast majority of protesters remain peaceful and organized,” Johnson said. 2 people charged for allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails toward police during LA protests

The defense of Newsom came as House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer were asked how Newsom should be dealing with Trump.

Jeffries said Newsom “has been doing a tremendous job on behalf of the people of California.” He then used the question to state Democrats believe along with Newsom that anybody who commits violence or destroys property should be held accountable to the full extent of that law. At the same time, people have a right to “peacefully protest and petition their government.”

Schumer said that Trump has been trying to intimidate Newsom.“He has shown he's not going to be intimidated, and we're all for that,” Schumer said of Newsom. “All for him and proud that he is refusing to be intimidated by Donald Trump.” NYPD detains more than 80 people during Tuesday night's protests in Lower Manhattan. The protests took place around Foley Square Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning.

Many in the large crowds, which police estimated at around 2,500 people, shouted out against federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement and waved signs that included “ICE out of NYC” as they rallied near an ICE facility and federal courthouses. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the vast majority of demonstrators were peaceful. She blamed smaller groups for causing the disorder that required police intervention.

Police said they took 86 people into custody, including 52 who were released with criminal court summonses for minor crimes and 34 who were charged with assault, resisting arrest and other crimes. Some protesters clashed with police when they jumped over metal barricades and were wrestled to the ground by officers. Video also showed demonstrators throwing items at law enforcement vehicles.

Source: HindustanTimes
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