WASHINGTON D.C. [US]
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 an 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.
