Thousands of Los Angeles protestors shut down portions of a major LA freeway Sunday to oppose President Donald J. Trump’s immigration executive orders.
Protestors shut down major parts of the freeway at about 9 AM, which the police called a “non-permitted demonstration.” According to the LAPD, the protestors exited the freeway shortly before 4 PM. As of 6 PM that day, no arrests had been made.
“We are gonna stand up for our immigrant community as long as it takes and we’re not going anywhere,” Marissa Ruiz, a protestor at the scene, said. “So many of us Americans are from immigrant roots, so we’re here to stand up for them today and every day, to show they’re not alone. Our community is with you, and we’ll keep showing up,” she added.
Trump’s recent executive orders on immigration include major deportations, ending the Biden-era “sensitive areas” protections, ending birthright citizenship, and militarization of the US-Mexico Border. Human rights groups, such as Human Rights Watch, have expressed concern at Trump’s executive orders which have caused threats to human rights in the US.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) targeted major US cities, such as Los Angeles began raids and deportation efforts last week. The ICE’s arrests increased since Trump’s immigration executive orders with a reported number of around 1,200 migrants.
“Los Angeles County must step up and show the rest of the country how to protect and prioritize our immigrant communities. Actions speak louder than words and we look forward to working with the County to push these and other policies forward,” Immigrants Are Los Angeles, an immigrants’ rights group, stated in a press release following Trump’s re-election.