Nationwide protests against immigration raids escalate in U.S., leading to arrests and curfews

Protesters rally during a demonstration in response to a series of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids throughout the country, in Los Angeles, Calif., Thursday, June 12, 2025. (Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

AUSTIN, Texas — Protests over federal immigration enforcement raids have been flaring up around the country as officials in cities large and small prepare for major demonstrations against U.S. President Donald Trump.

Although many demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been peaceful, others have led to clashes with police and hundreds of protesters have been arrested.

Trump ordered the deployment of roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles following protests over his stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws. A federal appeals court on Tuesday will hear the government’s challenge to a judge’s order that Trump exceeded his authority by taking control of California’s Guard troops.

The Trump administration has said the immigration raids and deportations will continue.

Volatile protests against those raids led officials to enforce curfews in Los Angeles and Spokane, Washington, and Republican governors have mobilized National Guard troops to be ready to help law enforcement manage demonstrations in Texas and Missouri .

Activists are also planning “No Kings” protests across the country on Saturday to counter Trump’s planned military parade in Washington, D.C.

Here’s a look at some recent protests and reactions across the country:

Newark, New Jersey

Protesters locked arms and pushed against the gates of a federal immigration detention center on Thursday after learning of unrest inside over delayed meals.

Officers responded to the protest outside Delaney Hall by pepper-spraying the demonstrators and dragging them away, according to Amy Torres, executive director of New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. Torres said some protesters suffered minor injuries during the fracas.

On Friday, the Department of Homeland Security said four detainees escaped from the 1,000-bed facility late Thursday and that law enforcement personnel were searching for them.

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 called on elected officials to speak out.

The group later marched through a popular downtown shopping district flanked by their own security marshals and Chicago police officers on bicycles and in slow-moving patrol cars.

Spokane, Washington

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

Brown said the majority of the protesters were peaceful.

“We respect their right to peacefully protest and to be upset about federal policies,” she said. “I have been that person who has protested federal policies, and that is a right we have.”

Anchorage, Alaska

A small group of demonstrators protested for a fourth straight day Thursday outside the Anchorage Correctional Complex, where ICE has detained nearly 40 people. Using a bullhorn aimed at the facility’s front doors, demonstrator Courtney Moore declared, “ICE out of Anchorage, ICE out of Alaska.”

Betsy Holley, a spokesperson with the Alaska Department of Corrections, said 39 people were in ICE custody at the Anchorage jail. The department said its facilities will be on lockdown through the weekend as a “proactive response to calls for grassroots protests across the state.”

No Kings protests

No Kings demonstrations are planned for nearly 2,000 locations around the country, organizers said on the movement’s website.

A flagship march and rally are planned in Philadelphia, but no protests are scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C., where Trump’s military parade will take place.

In Florida, Republican 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 cited 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 officers 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.

Article by Jim Vertuno.

Sophia Tareen in Chicago; Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington, D.C.; Curt Anderson in Tampa, Florida; David Lieb in Jefferson City, Missouri; and Mark Thiessen in Anchorage, Alaska, contributed.