...
By Jordan King
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Several supporters of President Donald Trump in Tampa, Florida, have started counterprotests to anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement demonstrations.
Why It Matters
Los Angeles saw violent clashes over the weekend, with demonstrators attempting to deter immigration raids and detentions by federal officials seeking to deport those in the U.S. illegally.
Read More on News
While the raids are following legal directives from federal authorities, protests have erupted amid reports that detainees are being held in the basement of a federal building. ICE denied these allegations, with a spokesperson previously telling Newsweek that the agency "categorically refutes the assertions made by immigration activists in Los Angeles."
Demonstrations have started cropping up in other parts of the country, including Tampa. Newsweek has created a map to show where else rallies have taken place.
What To Know
Video footage posted on X, formerly Twitter, shows a man holding a red "MAGA country" flag and chanting, "We want ICE." He also told a woman holding a Mexican flag, "If you love Mexico, go back to Mexico."
In another clip, a group of men can be seen holding a Trump-Vance banner.
Hundreds gathered outside Tampa City Hall on Monday to protest following a weekend of violent clashes between anti-ICE demonstrators and law enforcement in Los Angeles.
Police in Tampa intervened during some heated moments between anti-ICE protesters and counterprotesters, but there was no violence, local broadcaster FOX 13 reported.
What People Are Saying
Tampa protester Vernon Woodson told ABC Action News: "I mean people don't run and seek asylum for no reason. There's actual danger. There are actual governments that will unalive people simply because of their political views back where they originate from. There's gangs there."
Stephanie, a counterprotester who used only her first name, told ABC Action News: "During the Biden administration, he opened the borders. And a lot of illegals came through the borders, and there was a lot of gangs, violence, and especially Laken Riley, we've all heard about that, and so enough is enough."
Laken Riley was a 22-year-old Georgian nursing student who was killed by a Venezuelan national who had entered the country illegally in 2020.
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday: "A once great American City, Los Angeles, has been invaded and occupied by Illegal Aliens and Criminals. Now violent, insurrectionist mobs are swarming and attacking our Federal Agents to try and stop our deportation operations—But these lawless riots only strengthen our resolve."
What Happens Next
A White House memorandum issued on June 7 authorizes the National Guard to help enforce federal immigration law. It does not specifically name California nor Los Angeles, saying guard and active-duty troops could be deployed "at locations where protests against these functions are occurring or are likely to occur based on current threat assessments and planned operations."
...
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines