Key Points

In Los Angeles, protesters briefly blocked traffic on the 101 Freeway, while in Chicago, large crowds marched through several main arteries of the downtown Loop, briefly halting traffic. Police helicopters hovered overhead as demonstrators walked among stalled buses, and one Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) bus had been tagged with anti-police and anti-ICE (the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency) graffiti. The Chicago Tribune reported no immediate arrests.

Similar scenes unfolded in New York, where blocks of demonstrators marched from Lower Manhattan, near the federal immigration building, while in Atlanta, some 1,000 demonstrators lined Buford Highway, with several hundred later marching into Doraville, prompting an immediate standoff with local police.

Elsewhere, protests rippled across San Francisco, Seattle, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Washington, DC, with varying degrees of police presence and tension.

According to NBC News, dozens of arrests were reported in New York and San Francisco, while rallies in Houston and San Antonio remained largely peaceful.

In Austin, the local police department issued alerts warning drivers to watch for large groups of pedestrians rallying in support of the Los Angeles protests.

These demonstrations come amid a deepening political and legal confrontation in California over the use of military forces in domestic immigration enforcement.

At an event marking the 250th anniversary of the US Army at Fort Bragg on Tuesday, President Donald Trump delivered a fiery speech, labelling Los Angeles protesters as "animals" and "a foreign enemy." He described their actions as an "invasion" and defended the deployment of approximately 4,000 National Guard soldiers and 700 Marines to the city. Trump vowed to "liberate" Los Angeles and restore it to being "free, clean, and safe," even suggesting he might invoke the Insurrection Act. He further warned that any disruptions during an upcoming military parade in Washington, DC would be met with "very big force."

In response, California Governor Gavin Newsom immediately filed an emergency lawsuit in federal court seeking to block the deployment of military personnel for immigration enforcement. Citing the Posse Comitatus Act and the Tenth Amendment, Newsom called the move unconstitutional and a grave violation of state sovereignty.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass supported the legal challenge and announced a downtown curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., warning that police would arrest those who defy the order.

According to the Pentagon, the deployment -- tasked with securing federal buildings and supporting ICE operations -- is expected to last 60 days and cost approximately $134 million, covering logistics, equipment, and personnel expenses. Some Guard units were deployed within hours of the initial protests, which saw protesters block highways and damage property in central LA, Xinhua news agency reported.

The intensifying standoff has sparked a broader national debate over the militarisation of domestic law enforcement. The controversy has underscored deep tensions between state and federal authority, raising critical questions about the balance of power and the political stakes of immigration enforcement in American cities.

As protests swell across the country, a federal judge in California has scheduled a hearing for Thursday afternoon on the state's request to restrict the federal government's use of military personnel.

- IANS