Nationwide Protests Against Immigration Raids Escalate

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Protests over federal immigration enforcement raids are flaring up around the country as officials in cities from coast to coast get ready for major demonstrations against President Donald Trump over the weekend.

While many demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been peaceful, others led to clashes with police who sometimes used chemical irritants to disperse crowds. Hundreds have been arrested.

Volatile protests prompted officials to enforce curfews in Los Angeles and Spokane. Republican governors in Texas and Missouri mobilized National Guard troops to be ready to help law enforcement manage demonstrations in those states.

Activists are planning “No Kings” events across the country on Saturday to coincide with Trump’s planned military parade in Washington, D.C. Those were already scheduled but will happen amid the week’s rising tensions.

The Trump administration said immigration raids and deportations will continue.

A look at some recent protests and reactions across the country:

Las Vegas

Police said 94 people were arrested on “various criminal and traffic” charges, and four officers were injured in a Wednesday night protest. Some in the estimated crowd of about 800 threw bottles and rocks at officers, police said.

A crowd gathered near the city’s federal courthouse and blocked several streets before police declared an unlawful assembly. Local media reported that tear gas, flash-bang grenades and rubber bullets were used to disperse the protesters.

Chicago

Hundreds of demonstrators packed a park plaza near Lake Michigan on Thursday. Veronica Castro, an organizer with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, urged people to learn how to protect themselves and elected officials to speak out.

The group later marched along the city’s iconic Michigan Avenue. They were flanked by their own security marshals and Chicago police officers on bicycles and in slow-moving patrol cars.

Seattle

Hundreds of protesters marched through downtown Seattle Wednesday evening to a federal building where immigration cases are heard. Some of them set a dumpster on fire. The building was covered in graffiti, with “Abolish ICE Now” written in large letters across its front window.

Dozens of officers squared off with protesters near the building, some shooting pepper spray. Some protesters threw fireworks and rocks at officers, police said.

Spokane, Wash.

Mayor Lisa Brown imposed an overnight curfew in downtown Spokane after a protest Wednesday outside an ICE office that ended with more than 30 arrests and police firing pepper balls at the crowd.

Brown said the majority of protesters were peaceful.

San Antonio

Several hundred protesters marched through downtown San Antonio and near the historic Alamo mission. Although Texas National Guard troops were seen in the area, the demonstration was mostly peaceful.

The Alamo building and plaza, among the state’s most popular tourist attractions, was closed to the public. Police guarded the property as the crowd marched nearby.

‘No Kings’

This week’s protests are leading into the scheduled “No Kings” demonstrations that organizers say are planned in nearly 2,000 locations around the country, according to the movement’s website.

Organizers plan a flagship march and rally in Philadelphia, but no protests are scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C., where the military parade will be held. In Florida, state Attorney General James Uthmeier warned that any “No Kings” protesters who become violent will be dealt with harshly.

In a message sent Thursday, a Justice Department official told U.S. attorneys across the country to prioritize cases against protesters who engage in violence and destruction. The email cites several potential federal charges, including assault, civil disorder and damage of government property.

Governors and the Guard

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe mobilized National Guard troops in their states ahead of the weekend demonstrations.

Abbott said more than 5,000 Guard troops and more than 2,000 state police would be ready to help local law enforcement if needed.

Several “No Kings” rallies are planned in Texas, and there were brief clashes between protesters and police in Austin and Dallas this week.

Kehoe called his decision a “precautionary measure” and did not provide specific troop levels or duties.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has publicly sparred with Trump over the president’s decision to send National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles, where volatile demonstrations have mostly been contained to a five-block section of downtown.

All 22 other Democratic governors signed a statement backing Newsom, calling the deployment “an alarming abuse of power.”