Thousands of protesters gathered in the center of Los Angeles on Sunday and closed a section of highway 101 to protest the repression of President Trump against illegal immigration and his aggressive deportation policies.
Drapeados in Mexican and Salvadoran flags, the protesters gathered near the City Council shortly before noon, blocking traffic in Spring and Temple streets, in the midst of horns and solidarity messages of the motorists who pass. The protesters criticized a mixture of traditional and contemporary Mexican music from a speaker, and some danced along the way in traditional feathered headdresses.
The protests continued until night. After a tactical alert was issued throughout the city around 7 pm, Los Angeles police officers were deployed in the city center in the riot team, equipped with helmets, canes and less than lethal, according to Tony IM, spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department.
Near Union Station, the officers formed lines to detain the protesters and push them back, he said. At 10 pm, there were no reports of arrests or injuries. The police remained in the scene, he said, since there were “still areas in which we are addressing the situation.”
The videos published on social networks after 10 PM showed the police asking the protesters to disperse.
The protesters join in the high passage of Alameda of the 101 highway against the deportation policies of President Trump on Sunday.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Trump has declared a crisis on the southern border and launched a wave of executive orders aimed at renewing the country's immigration system and promising to deport millions of undocumented people. The protesters told The Times that it was those actions that led them to meet in the center.
At 1 PM, the number of protesters shot several thousand, with some signs that said: “Maga – Mexicans always cross”; “Do not bite the hand that feeds you,” referring to the agricultural workers of the State; And “I drink my warm horchata because F -Ice”, a reference to the United States immigration and customs control agency.
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Nailah Esparza, 18, said it was his first protest and that he learned about that a week ago about Tiktok's videos. She had a Spanish sign that said: “No more ice raids, no more fear, we want justice and a better world.”
“Actually, it was something very important, so we decided to show support, due to young people,” said Esparza, who is a Mexican American. “We are very passionate about what we are here.”
Another protester, who identified only as a king due to privacy problems, brought a sign that said: “Trump eats peanut! Be careful with the Nazis.” He said he protested by Trump's immigration policies during his first term as president.
“We thought we had ended his administration,” said Rey, who is a Mexican American. “And now we have to do this again.”
Thousands of protesters met Sunday in the center of Los Angeles to demonstrate immigration rights.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
The demonstration was largely peaceful, with some entrepreneurial street vendors who took advantage of the moment to sell hot dogs wrapped in bacon, ice cream, churros, beer and even tequila pattern shots.
But things seemed to increase when the driver of a silver Mustang began to do donuts at a generally occupied intersection near the City Council. Shortly after, a few police cars arrived when dozens of protesters walked to the nearby highway 101, while hundreds of more full steps, stirring flags and holding signs.
But the police, whose presence at the beginning of the demonstration was minimal, did not converge in the protesters, even when multitudes arrived on the highway. A section of the highway near the exchange of highway 110 closed around noon and remained closed shortly after 4 pm, authorities said.
The protesters join in Alameda and the 101 Highway to protest against the deportation policies of President Trump on Sunday in the center of Los Angeles. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Said Sunday afternoon that the department was “properly attended” to handle the protests, but refused to prepare the details of the staff.
A short time after the acquisition of the highway began, the acre smell of burning tires hung in the air while trucks and motorcycles were running out loud in a high step, attracting cheers and cameras in the middle of the noisy roar of the speakers, the sirens of Police and helicopters on top.
At 8 pm, the protesters were clear and the 101 highway was reopened, according to the California road patrol.
Promising the greatest deportation effort in the history of the United States, Trump, in his first days in office, declared a national emergency on the southern border, deploying troops there.
Protesters meet on Sunday in 101 high steps on the highway, while others block the highway traffic.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Their executive orders abruptly limit the legal routes to enter the US., Promote compliance efforts to seal the border between the United States and Mexico and promote aggressive sweeps to gather and deport people who live illegally in the United States. Some of the orders have been challenged in the Court, and the defenders said that others could be soon.
There is an estimate of 11 million to 15 million undocumented immigrants in the United States, including more than 2 million in California.
They include people who crossed the border illegally, people who exceeded their visas and people who have requested asylum. It does not include the people who entered the country under several temporary humanitarian programs, or who have obtained a temporary protected status, which gives people the right to live and work in the US. Temporarily due to disasters or conflicts in their countries of origin.
The reporters of Times Jessica Garrison and Rebecca Plevin personnel contributed to this report.
Dozens of protesters march along the 101 highway in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, while others look from above.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
