Washington DC, February 2
Protests swept across the United States over the weekend as demonstrators rallied under the slogan "ICE Out", demanding an end to the Trump administration's immigration enforcement measures, CNN reported.
The protests marked a second consecutive day of demonstrations after a nationwide strike on Friday disrupted schools, workplaces, and businesses across several states, with large rallies and marches reported in major cities including Minneapolis, New York, Los Angeles, Portland, and Austin.
According to CNN, protests gained momentum following recent incidents in Minneapolis, where the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good during immigration enforcement actions have intensified public scrutiny of federal tactics, making the incidents focal points in the broader national debate over immigration policy.
The protest also led to major legal development in the country, with a federal judge on Saturday ordering the release of five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father from a detention facility in Texas, issuing a strongly worded opinion critical of the government's actions.
The child and his father returned to Minneapolis on Sunday, according to Texas Representative Joaquin Castro, CNN reported.
The detention of the child had further fuelled the widespread outrage and become a symbol of opposition to what critics describe as heavy-handed enforcement practices by federal authorities.
However, the Trump administration also had its small share of wins when a separate court ruling denied a request by the State of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St Paul to halt Operation Metro Surge, a large-scale federal immigration operation currently underway in the Twin Cities, CNN reported.
The operation involves thousands of federal agents and will continue as legal proceedings move forward amid the raging protests.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) welcomed the ruling, while state and city officials expressed disappointment, noting that they would continue pursuing the case, which alleges unlawful arrests and excessive use of force, CNN reported.
Amid the unrest, US President Donald Trump instructed the DHS not to deploy federal intervention in Democratic-led cities unless formally requested by local authorities.
In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, Trump directed Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem not to intervene in "protests and/or riots" in Democratic-led cities amid mounting criticism over his administration's use of aggressive immigration enforcement measures.
"I have instructed Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, that under no circumstances are we going to participate in various poorly run Democrat Cities with regard to their Protests and/or Riots unless, and until, they ask us for help," his post read.
Meanwhile, in Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order directing city police to document and investigate alleged misconduct by federal immigration officers. The move follows the formation of a coalition of nine local district attorneys to prosecute federal officers accused of violating state laws, CNN reported.
Separately, the US Department of Justice has launched a civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal officers, with US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stating that the investigation would examine whether the officers involved violated the law, adding later that the inquiry is being conducted by the FBI.
- ANI
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