On Monday, hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Dallas to express solidarity and support for Los Angeles residents and undocumented immigrants who have been the target of increasingly intense raids and arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in recent days.
An estimated 400 people gathered at 7 p.m. at the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge on the outskirts of downtown, to peacefully express their discontent with the Trump administration’s harsh crackdown on immigrants and to affirm their solidarity with the demonstrations unfolding in Los Angeles. However, with the arrival of local police officers, there were moments of tension. Shortly before 10 p.m., law enforcement officers asked the crowd to disperse or face arrest.
ICE raids in Los Angeles county and President Donald Trump’s subsequent decision to send in National Guard troops, despite objections from Governor Gavin Newsom, have only served to increase tensions. Just like in LA, protesters in Texas chanted slogans such as “Stop ICE” and held up signs reading “Immigrants built this country.”
Around 11 p.m., Dallas police officers rounded up a small group of protesters who remained at the scene. It appears that at least one person was arrested during the protests, while there were reports of participants being pepper-sprayed. “An officer came up, totally out of control, and started pushing and pulled out his baton, his pepper spray,“ said Clarence Ford, senior pastor of Christian Chapel Temple of Faith in North Dallas. “I put my hands up (and said) ‘Officer, I’m not a threat.’ And he began to pepper spray.”
Esperanza Tomeo, 44, of Dallas, a leader of the local D-FW chapter of the Brown Berets, a group that defends the rights of people of Mexican origin, said, “This administration has absolutely no problem breaking the laws for them [to] point fingers and criminalize people who they say are breaking the laws. I’m really happy that Dallas is able to show up and show out, and support LA. Right now, things are pretty rough.”
In a statement to The Dallas Morning News, police stated, “Our main priority remains the safety of the people who live, work and visit the city of Dallas.”
The protests in support of the Los Angeles demonstrators come just a few days after the announcement of the “No Kings” rally that will start on Saturday June 14th, an event that will involve numerous cities across the country. On that day, on the occasion of President Trump’s birthday and the massive military parade for the 250th anniversary of the armed forces, thousands of activists will protest against the federal administration and its policies. In Dallas, the demonstration will start at City Hall at 12 pm.
