New York: Protests against the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement measures have intensified across the United States, spreading far beyond their origins in Los Angeles to major cities including New York, Chicago, and at least two dozen others, according to reports from US media.
In Los Angeles, demonstrators briefly blocked the 101 Freeway, while in Chicago, crowds flooded the downtown Loop, halting traffic and prompting police helicopters to hover overhead. Amid the demonstrations, a Chicago Transit Authority bus was defaced with anti-police and anti-ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) slogans. The Chicago Tribune reported that no immediate arrests were made.
In New York, protestors marched from Lower Manhattan near the federal immigration building. In Atlanta, over 1,000 demonstrators lined Buford Highway, with several hundred later marching into Doraville, sparking a standoff with local police.
Similar scenes were reported in San Francisco, Seattle, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Washington, DC, with varying levels of police presence and public tension. While dozens of arrests were reported in New York and San Francisco, rallies in Houston and San Antonio remained mostly peaceful, according to NBC News.
In Austin, police issued public alerts urging drivers to be cautious due to large protest groups in the city.
These escalating protests come amid a growing legal and political standoff in California over the Trump administration’s deployment of military forces for immigration enforcement.
During an event at Fort Bragg marking the 250th anniversary of the US Army, President Donald Trump delivered a combative speech, referring to Los Angeles protestors as “animals” and “a foreign enemy.” He described the unrest as an “invasion” and defended the deployment of approximately 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles. Trump vowed to “liberate” the city and restore it to being “free, clean, and safe.” He further warned that any disruptions during an upcoming military parade in Washington, DC, would be met with “very big force,” and hinted at invoking the Insurrection Act.
In immediate response, California Governor Gavin Newsom filed an emergency lawsuit in federal court seeking to block the military deployment. Citing the Posse Comitatus Act and the Tenth Amendment, Newsom denounced the move as unconstitutional and a severe breach of state sovereignty.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass supported the legal challenge and imposed a curfew in downtown LA from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., warning that violators would face arrest.
The Pentagon has stated that the troop deployment — aimed at securing federal buildings and supporting ICE operations — will last 60 days and cost an estimated $134 million, covering logistics, equipment, and personnel. Some Guard units were deployed within hours of the first wave of protests, which included blocked highways and property damage in central LA, according to Xinhua news agency.
This escalating confrontation has triggered a broader national debate about the militarisation of domestic law enforcement and the limits of federal power over states. The tension has laid bare deep divisions over immigration policy and raised critical questions about the balance between federal authority and state rights.
As the protests continue to grow across the nation, a federal judge in California has scheduled a hearing for Thursday afternoon to consider the state’s request to restrict the federal government’s use of military personnel in immigration enforcement.
With IANS inputs