Anti-ICE protests in US lead to nationwide unrest and an ideological battle - The Front Page

Protesters confront the California National Guard and police outside a federal building as protests continue in Los Angeles after a series of immigration raids in the city. Photo / David McNew, Getty Images

Protests against immigration raids are spreading across the United States.

The demonstrations began in Los Angeles in opposition to President Donald Trump’s deportation crackdown. Hundreds have been arrested, and thousands of National Guard troops have been deployed in the city.

More protests have since flared, with demonstrators marching in states including New York, Georgia, Illinois, Texas, Missouri and Colorado.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has suggested the order to federalise the National Guard could extend to other states.

9News US correspondent Jonathan Kearsley is in Los Angeles, where Mayor Karen Bass has issued a curfew from 8pm to 6am. He told The Front Page that the curfew covers a couple of square kilometres of downtown LA.

“It is largely a business district, and most of the protesters have been targeting federal or court buildings. The headquarters of the Los Angeles Police Department is down there as well.

“We’ve spoken to people who have had their father deported. They were protesting for their own father’s sake. We’ve spoken to people who are concerned about their neighbours being deported. There is a real sense of community spirit among those who are down there legitimately trying to plead their case.

“There is certainly a sign that there are troublemakers in the mix ... But those who are passionate about this issue on a personal level and who it impacts are just trying to drive the point home that these are fathers, they are sons, they are people who are not criminals being targeted.”

Trump has doubled down on his use of the military after California Governor Gavin Newsom, a likely Democratic presidential candidate, accused the president of a “brazen abuse of power”.

Newsom issued a warning to other states, declaring “democracy is under assault”.

“He is trying to show that he wields the power, that he’s America’s commander-in-chief,” Kearsley said. “He’s also a fan of attention, so he’s getting it. The question is, though, whether that attention is going to be positive for him.

“This is not about Donald Trump and governors. This is about ideologies. This is about policy. This is about people’s lives.”

Fellow 9News reporter Lauren Tomasi made global headlines this week after video footage showed her being shot by a rubber bullet.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the footage “horrific” and has expressed his concern to the US Government.

“At these protests, police are armed, they are using rubber bullets, they’re using tear gas,” Kearsley said. “We were warned the other day about some of the chemicals and force that could be used on protesters.

“Right now, in Los Angeles, we hope the situation is starting to calm down a little bit. But these are gonna be discussions that continue for years beyond these protests about immigration policies, around protest conditions, around should the military should even be allowed to be called in and turned against American citizens.

“Those conversations will happen, but right now you’ve gotta try and find some way to get peace on the streets.”

Listen to the full episode to hear more about what’s happening on the ground in LA.

The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. The podcast is presented by Chelsea Daniels, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in world news and crime/justice reporting who joined NZME in 2016.

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