A largely peaceful march in downtown Austin on Monday condemning the uptick in immigrant detentions across the country 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.
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.
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.
A protest in Dallas also occurred on Monday evening, following 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 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’s deployment.
Austin Police Department and Texas Department of Public Safety 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.
According to one eyewitness, at least two people were detained, but APD and DPS did not immediately respond to requests for confirmation. It was also unclear whether anyone was injured by the tear gas.
Source: Ayden Runnels, The Texas Tribune
Photo Credit: A Department of Public Safety officer sprays a chemical deterrent at a protester during a demonstration against ICE in downtown Austin on Monday. The spray was used after a DPS officer lost control of their bike in the crowd. Credit: Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribune
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