Protests spread across US against Trump’s immigration policies

Protests against President Donald Trump’s hardline anti-immigration policies are expected to further spread across the United States on Tuesday, as activists planned demonstrations in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta and elsewhere.

The protests began on Friday, roiling Los Angeles over the weekend, reports NBC News, though local officials said the demonstrations on Monday were largely peaceful.

Rallies protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and the government's immigration policies have spread across California and beyond this week. A series of so-called “No Kings” demonstrations are planned nationwide for Saturday, protesting what organisers alleged Trump’s dictatorial policies.

In Los Angeles, hundreds of US Marines arrived overnight and more were expected on Tuesday under orders from Trump, who has also activated 4,000 National Guard troops to quell protests despite objections from California Governor Gavin Newsom and other local leaders.

Trump has justified his decision to deploy active military troops to Los Angeles by describing the protests as a violent occupation, a characterization that California Governor Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have said is grossly exaggerated.

Newsom accused Trump of sending troops to deliberately inflame the situation and said the president's actions made it more difficult for local law enforcement to respond to the demonstrations.

In a social media post on Tuesday morning, Trump said Los Angeles would be "burning to the ground right now" if he had not deployed troops to the city.

Bass told KABC that more than 100 people had been arrested on Monday but that the majority of protesters were nonviolent.

As per Reuters, since protests broke out on Friday they have been largely peaceful, although there have been isolated clashes, with some demonstrators throwing rocks and other objects at officers, blocking an interstate highway and setting several cars ablaze. Several businesses were looted, including an Apple store and a CVS pharmacy. Police have responded by firing projectiles such as pepper balls, as well as flash-bang grenades and tear gas.

On Tuesday, protests were held in New York City, Atlanta, Louisville, Kentucky and Dallas, reports CNN.

Protests also sprang up on Monday in at least nine cities, including New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco, according to local news reports.

In Austin, Texas, police fired non-lethal munitions and detained several people as they clashed with a crowd of several hundred protesters.