Hundreds protest in Austin against nationwide ICE detentions

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Thirteen people were arrested Monday during a largely peaceful march in downtown Austin condemning the uptick in immigrant detentions across the country that dispersed when law enforcement fired tear gas into a portion of the crowd that refused to leave.

The protest, organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation’s Austin branch, began outside state Capitol grounds at around 7 p.m. as several hundred protesters condemned raids conducted in recent weeks by U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement. The group guided the mile-long march and chants through downtown toward the J. J. “Jake” Pickle Federal Building before circling back to the Capitol. Some protesters painted graffiti and slammed on the federal building's glass doors.

While the organizers announced the end of their gathering just after 8 p.m., more than a hundred protesters continued marching as police told them to leave the streets. Some rerouted back to the federal building but were blocked from it by law enforcement, who eventually fired tear gas canisters into the crowd.

The Austin Police Department arrested eight people in total, including two accused of painting graffiti on the Pickle building. The Department of Public Safety arrested five other protesters, including three on felony criminal mischief charges. Others were arrested on various charges including harassment of a police officer, reckless driving and resisting arrest. In a news release on Tuesday, APD told Austin residents to expect increased police presence in the city through the weekend.

Gov. Greg Abbott commented on the arrests and protests in social media posts on Monday and Tuesday, telling protesters to not "mess with law enforcement."

"Peaceful protesting is legal. But once you cross the line, you will be arrested," Abbott wrote in a social media post on Monday.

Speakers during the protest and those who marched in downtown Austin said ICE and law enforcement were operating without due process for people they have detained in raids. Some, including Valerie Cruz, an Austin resident and first generation American, came to share their solidarity with undocumented immigrants they say have been villainized by law enforcement.

“I had the privilege of my family being able to come here ‘the right way,’ you know what they say, right? And not everybody has that privilege, not everyone has that luxury, and that's why I'm here,” Cruz said.

Other protesters felt marching was the only way their voices could be heard after months of concern over President Donald Trump's immigration policies. Round Rock resident Jackie Oliver said she came because her family was worried other forms of protest — like hanging certain flags outside her home — might invite harassment.

"This is the only thing I can do. I feel completely helpless," Oliver said. "You can go Republican, you can go Democrat. [This] is whether we survive or not as a country."

A protest in Dallas also occurred on Monday evening resulting in one arrest, according to KERA. Those protests, followed two others on Sunday in San Antonio and Houston. All four were inspired by protests against ICE in Los Angeles over the weekend, which started after a series of ICE immigration sweeps and arrests sparked outcry from locals, according to CalMatters.

State and federal authorities have escalated their presence in Los Angeles as protests have continued. The Pentagon on Monday deployed 700 Marines to Los Angeles hours before protesters gathered in Austin. Those Marines are in addition to the 2,000 California National Guard troops sent by the Trump administration to Los Angeles.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the deployment of law enforcement into Los Angeles an “unmistakable step toward authoritarianism” in a news release on Monday. Newsom is now suing the administration for the guard and Marine's deployment in two separate lawsuits filed on Monday and Tuesday respectively. An emergency motion to block the troops' continued deployment was filed Tuesday and set to be heard in a Northern California district court on Thursday.

APD and DPS officers gathered and at times surrounded the protesters as they moved through downtown. At one point, a DPS officer fell off their motorcycle while attempting to corral protesters, and shortly afterward, another officer shot pepper spray at a protester who was not near the fallen motorcycle. That protester, who did not wish to be named, was incapacitated after being sprayed in their face. APD said three of their officers were struck by rocks thrown at them by agitators.

Over 30 protests across Texas are scheduled for Saturday as part of a nationwide series of "No Kings" marches coinciding with Trump's birthday on Saturday.

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