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Nearly 400 people were arrested and detained since the large scale anti-ICE protests began in Los Angeles this past weekend, the Associated Press reports.
Police said the majority of arrests have been for failing to leave the area in defiance of requests from law enforcement, however, more serious charges have included assault against police officers and possession of a Molotov cocktail and a gun. Protests continued for the fifth consecutive night on Wednesday (June 11) with more than 400 people participating in what was described as being largely peaceful, as demonstrators played music and handed out water while law enforcement watched from closed off nearby streets hundreds of feet away.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom sued President Donald Trump's administration in an effort to cease military troops from helping ICE agents in Los Angeles, while the White House claimed the president was “exercising his lawful statutory and constitutional power to ensure that federal personnel and facilities are protected.”
Trump announced the deployment of more than 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines to the anti-ICE rallies. The protests followed demonstrations over ICE operations across the city on Friday (June 6) after federal agents raided multiple workplaces resulting in hundreds of people, including children, being detained, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
Large crowds initially gathered near the federal building on Friday, which resulted in some clashes with authorities, followed by protests on Saturday where Border Patrol agents were posted up nearby, resulting in more clashes with demonstrators and footage showing smoke projectiles being deployed.