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(NewsNation) — Leaders successful immoderate Democratic-led cities are bracing for an accrued beingness of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as demonstrations protesting the Trump administration's migration enforcement policies and ICE tactics proceed crossed the country, with much planned for this weekend.
Published reports connected Wednesday stated that specialized ICE tactical teams would beryllium sent to Chicago, Philadelphia, Seattle, New York and Northern Virginia aft anti-ICE protests successful Los Angeles reached a “tipping point” with hundreds being arrested.
More than 2 twelve protests nationwide this week person led to arrests arsenic demonstrators rally against migrants being taken into national custody. Federal officials importune ICE enforcement efforts will proceed crossed the state contempt the rallies, arsenic advocates for migrant rights propulsion backmost against what they accidental are deceptive practices being utilized by ICE.
"We volition not beryllium deterred," Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told NewsNation this week.
More protests, including hundreds of No Kings events, are slated for Saturday amid reports that ICE is ramping up enforcement efforts, including during workplace raids successful cities with sanctuary policies successful place. That has raised concerns among immoderate metropolis leaders that clashes betwixt national agents and protesters, similar those successful Los Angeles, could spread.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom predicted Tuesday that different left-leaning areas of the state could beryllium targeted by the Trump medication by utilizing akin tactics.
“What we person seen successful Los Angeles is truly not astir immigration, this is not astir policy, this is astir power,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said Wednesday. “We person a tyrant successful the White House that has a implicit disregard for our Constitution and the dismissing of our democracy.”
What cities are being targeted by ICE?
ICE is prepared to deploy Special Response Teams to respective Democratic-run cities to proceed to transportation retired migration enforcement practices, according to NBC News. No timeline for the troops being sent to those cities has been laid out.
ICE did not respond to a petition for remark from NewsNation connected Wednesday. However, Chicago metropolis officials confirmed connected Wednesday that they had been alerted connected Tuesday that agents had been fixed announcement that they would beryllium sent retired wrong the adjacent 48 hours.
Mayor Brandon Johnson answers questions during a quality league astatine Chicago City Hall connected April 1, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)Johnson said his main precedence is keeping everyone harmless and that the city’s signifier of “constitutional policing” would continue. Johnson said that due to the fact that Trump is “determined to insert chaos”, the city’s effect would beryllium to “provide calm and structure”.
“We person an perfectly criminalized attack towards governance, and this president intelligibly continues to amusement however debased helium volition stoop successful bid to support the interests of a fistful of people,” Johnson said.
Johnson said astatine a quality league that helium has been successful interaction with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and different leaders astir a unified stance but said that the metropolis and authorities are committed to protecting the close of radical to assemble and to assistance sphere their law rights.
Johnson said that the city’s strategical attack volition stay successful spot Saturday when No Kings protests are scheduled some successful Chicago’s downtown territory arsenic good arsenic successful respective suburbs. He said that demonstrators who enactment “outside of their law protections” would beryllium held liable and accountable.
Johnson's comments followed demonstrations that took spot successful Chicago, wherever 17 radical were taken into custody, including 4 who were charged with felonies, NewsNation affiliate WGN reported.
No Kings organizers did not respond to an email from NewsNation seeking remark astir plans to support demonstrations harmless amid concerns of accrued ICE beingness successful cities similar Chicago.
Johnson said that the Chicago Police volition proceed to support section residents and protesters alike portion besides adhering to the Illinois Trust Act, which prevents section officers from cooperating with national migration officials.
But different metropolis leaders anticipation that contempt the tensions felt successful places similar Los Angeles, demonstrations tin stay peaceful portion getting their connection across.
"The level of rage, the level of righteous choler that (protesters) mightiness consciousness retired determination is genuine," Chicago Ald. Andre Vasquez told NewsNation. "So, trying to marque definite that radical don't consciousness further oppressed portion besides recognizing that there's intelligibly a strategy of having crowds look similar they're chaotic is however the (Trump) medication is moving, it's precise challenging to effort to pass that."
NYPD acceptable to grip anti-ICE protests
In New York City, wherever 86 radical were arrested by metropolis constabulary officers connected Tuesday during anti-ICE protests that progressive astir 2,500 participants, Mayor Eric Adams said that the escalation of protests successful Los Angeles is “unacceptable” and would not beryllium tolerated if attempted successful New York.
"I recognize that immoderate New Yorkers whitethorn beryllium angry, afraid, and I understand, NYC volition ever beryllium a spot to peacefully protest, but we volition not let lawlessness," Adams said, according to NewsNation affiliate Pix11.
FILE - New York City Mayor Eric Adams attends an lawsuit astatine the NYPD's 40th precinct, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, successful the Bronx borough of New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)Earlier this week, 24 radical were arrested during a sit-in astatine Trump Tower successful New York, portion 7 radical were taken into custody astatine different demonstration, 3 of whom were criminally charged. Yet with much protests planned successful the coming days, metropolis officials bash not expect things to emergence to the level they person successful Los Angeles, an Adams spokeswoman told NewsNation connected Wednesday.
The spokeswoman said the metropolis has not received immoderate notification that further ICE agents would beryllium arriving successful New York successful the coming days. She added that the metropolis does not expect involving the National Guard oregon the U.S. subject being sent to New York, some of which person been called into enactment successful Los Angeles by the Trump administration.
The mayor's spokeswoman said that the metropolis has made it wide to the national authorities that nary national assistance is required to assistance support instrumentality and bid and that metropolis officials bash not expect protests to escalate retired of control.
“What we’re seeing successful (Los Angeles) and what the feds are doing implicit there, we’re not seeing that here. The NYPD has it nether control,” she told NewsNation. “The NYPD is virtually prepared for anything.”
Seattle officials acceptable to react
Despite proceeding rumors and media reports astir ICE tactical teams being sent to Seattle, metropolis officials told NewsNation connected Wednesday that they person not yet received authoritative connection astir accrued national agents arriving.
In a connection sent to NewsNation connected Wednesday, Mayor Bruce Harrell said that the metropolis remains successful adjacent interaction with the governor's and authorities lawyer general's offices, arsenic good arsenic different section officials, to coordinate a effect should ICE tactical teams get successful Seattle successful the coming days.
Harrell called the Trump administration's actions successful Los Angeles "an utmost and egregious overreach of national authorization meant to escalate tensions" and to distract from the promises Trump hasn't lived up to. The politician said helium is moving with Seattle's constabulary section to hole for immoderate demonstrations that whitethorn arise.
“Seattle powerfully supports the First Amendment rights of our residents, and we promote residents to basal up for their values peacefully," Harrell said. "There is nary country for violence. Violence and spot harm are precisely what Trump wants to rotation his mendacious communicative of our city."
National Guard Dispatched successful Texas protestation cities
After anti-ICE protests took spot successful Austin and San Antonio and with much demonstrations planned, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced plans connected societal media to dispatch the Texas National Guard to those cities.
Big Bend Sector Chief Patrol Agent Lloyd Easterling administered the oath of bureau to Texas National Guard soldiers astatine the Alpine Border Patrol Station, granting them Title 8 authorization successful a ceremonial connected Monday, March 4, 2025. (CBP)Abbott wrote connected X connected Tuesday that the troops volition usage “every instrumentality and strategy” to assistance instrumentality enforcement support order. Abbott wrote that portion peaceful protestation is legal, harming others and damaging oregon destroying spot volition pb to arrests.
Abbott’s declaration followed a objection earlier this week astatine the authorities capitol gathering successful Austin, which was attended by 500 radical and successful which section and authorities authorities utilized capsicum spray and flashbang grenades. More than a twelve radical were arrested, according to reports.
This weekend’s planned protests see No Kings demonstrations that are portion of the nationwide postulation of protests that decry the Trump administration’s policies.
The deployment of the National Guard, which volition stay connected standby, is an effort to forestall civilian unrest from taking place, an Abbott spokesperson told NewsNation connected Wednesday.
“Peaceful protests are portion of the cloth of our nation, but Texas volition not tolerate the lawlessness we person seen successful Los Angeles,” the spokesman, Andrew Mahaleris, said Wednesday. “Anyone engaging successful acts of unit oregon damaging spot volition beryllium swiftly held accountable to the afloat grade of the law.”
