ICE special teams deployed to Democrat-led cities; unrest spills over
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Special Response Teams are equipped with armored vehicles, heavy weapons, and tactical gear.
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A protester is arrested by California Highway Patrol near the federal building in downtown Los Angeles on June 10, 2025. (AP)
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is preparing to deploy its Special Response Teams to five cities governed by Democrats, NBC News reported, citing unnamed sources. These elite units are equipped with armored vehicles, tactical gear, and heavy weaponry and are typically used for complex, high-risk operations.
The units are now being sent to Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia, Northern Virginia, and New York. While exact deployment dates remain undisclosed, all units in these areas have reportedly been ordered to maintain full combat readiness.
Unrest spills over
Demonstrations opposing the Trump administration’s immigration policies have erupted in cities across the US, stretching from New York to Seattle, although President Trump has warned that the recent deployment of National Guard troops and Marines in Los Angeles should serve as a signal that such protests will not be tolerated elsewhere.
While California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) condemned the military response as a “brazen abuse of power,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) announced Tuesday night that the National Guard would be deployed at various locations throughout Texas.
Texas: Austin, Dallas, San Antonio
Protests erupted in cities including Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin in opposition to immigration raids and detentions carried out by ICE. As a border state with deep cultural ties to Mexico, Texas has become a hub for anti-ICE demonstrations.
In Austin on Tuesday, tensions between protesters and police escalated, resulting in 13 arrests and minor injuries to several officers. The Austin Police Department reported eight arrests and noted that four officers required brief hospitalization. Meanwhile, the Texas Department of Public Safety stated that its officers detained five individuals during the event.
Videos from tonight’s protest in downtown Austin. Details: https://t.co/R1B66jtnMB pic.twitter.com/doqbNiGe8A
— Grace Reader (@GraceReaderTV) June 10, 2025
Meanwhile, Abbott asserted that the “Texas National Guard will be deployed to locations across the state to ensure peace & order. Peaceful protest is legal. Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest." He also affirmed that National Guard personnel “will use every tool & strategy to help law enforcement maintain order.”
DALLAS, TEXAS VIOLENT ANTI-ICE PROTESTORS are attacking our POLICE and trying to riot‼️‼️‼️ The Left is becoming more and more VIOLENT! If you see an Illegal Alien, CALL ICE‼️‼️‼️ pic.twitter.com/a9hhvcRtC3
— GP Q (@argosaki) June 11, 2025
In Dallas, footage from The Associated Press depicted riot-gear-clad officers facing a small group of protesters, some of whom carried Mexican flags. The encounter appeared to remain peaceful.
🚨La Policía bloquea a manifestantes que protestan contra el Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas (ICE) en Dallas, Texashttps://t.co/DLUSFOjc6H pic.twitter.com/GYkTNPX6N8
— RT en Español (@ActualidadRT) June 10, 2025
California: San Francisco, Santa Ana
Thousands marched through San Francisco’s Mission District on Monday, according to local law enforcement. The previous day, police arrested over 150 protesters; most were cited and released.
Now. Outside ICE Headquarters. #abolishICE #SanFrancisco #protest pic.twitter.com/to7mWPONbN
— Lucky G (@luckygsf) June 9, 2025
In Santa Ana, a demonstration initially began peacefully in the Civic Center Plaza but later turned confrontational when individuals began throwing rocks, bottles, and fireworks at law enforcement officers, according to a statement from Police Chief Robert Rodriguez. The incident followed a federal immigration raid.
We're back in Santa Ana to demonstrate our wishes to prevent ICE from attacking our communities.
— DSA Orange County 🌹 (@DSAOrangeCounty) June 10, 2025
The goal is to let our voices be heard until change occurs.
It is the decision of SAPD, ICE, and the National Guard whether escalation occurs. pic.twitter.com/WilTdbQNkZ
Chicago
Hundreds participated in a rally against ICE in Chicago, winding through the city’s iconic buildings and public art. The city, home to a large Mexican American population, has been a focal point for recent immigration raids.
ICE protest in Chicago this evening pic.twitter.com/Veal6VnqON
— Colin Hinkle (@hinklecolin) June 11, 2025
New York
In Manhattan, demonstrators marched and rallied outside federal buildings, including the ICE office. Protesters held signs reading “ICE out of NYC” and “Stop the deportations now.”
🚨🇺🇲 OCURRE AHORA: enfrentamientos muy fuertes frente al edificio del ICE en New York. Se reportan múltiples arrestos.pic.twitter.com/WqPtmLQb74
— El Necio (@ElNecio_Cuba) June 12, 2025
Social media posts showed confrontations between demonstrators and police. Authorities said bottles were thrown at officers and traffic cones were tossed into the street, prompting arrests. The NYPD took 86 people into custody, 52 received court summonses, and 34 were formally arrested and charged.
Atlanta
On Tuesday night, several hundred protesters gathered along Buford Highway, a corridor known for its immigrant-run businesses, to oppose targeted immigration enforcement both locally and nationally. At least one arrest was reported.
ICE Protest in Atlanta 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/6cbceMS6YZ
— Rusty Sun Compass (@sun_iscompass) June 11, 2025
Images showed fireworks being set off near heavily equipped law enforcement, and some individuals being detained.
Philadelphia
Union members turned out in force Monday, following the arrest of David Huerta, leader of the Service Employees International Union of California, to demand an end to federal immigration actions.
Protesters rallied at the intersection of 7th and Arch streets in Philadelphia on Tuesday to express their discontent toward the ongoing ICE detainments in the city, along with various other protests across the nation. pic.twitter.com/WoNHobOI6I
— WHYY News (@WHYYNews) June 10, 2025
Police reported that around 150 demonstrators rallied outside the Federal Detention Center. Fifteen people were arrested, charged with disorderly conduct and aggravated assault on police officers.
North Carolina: Raleigh
Protesters gathered to oppose a bill under consideration by the North Carolina General Assembly that would require local law enforcement agencies to assist ICE.
HAPPENING NOW: Protesters fill the streets of Raleigh, North Carolina for a protest against Donald Trump and ICE (Video: James DeAlto) pic.twitter.com/wf3Qd7Kh4F
— Marco Foster (@MarcoFoster_) June 12, 2025
Seattle
Photos from a Tuesday protest in Seattle showed demonstrators equipped with umbrellas and gas masks standing off against federal officers in uniform.
Protesters took to the streets around the Federal Building, with fire lit at the intersection and clashes reported with police officers.
Outside the federal building in Seattlepic.twitter.com/IfYMG1F3zb
— Wall Street Mav (@WallStreetMav) June 12, 2025
🚨BREAKING: @SeattlePD has just issued a dispersal order. Rioters set of MASSIVE firework in middle of police bike line. No way there aren’t injures. Chaos. pic.twitter.com/653oHFpWGr
— Brandi Kruse (@BrandiKruse) June 12, 2025
Over 100 arrested in Los Angeles immigration protests
On Tuesday, over 100 people were arrested in downtown Los Angeles overnight as demonstrations against federal immigration enforcement descended into unrest, according to city officials.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass confirmed the arrests during an interview for ABC News affiliate KABC, noting that the situation had deteriorated despite a majority of daytime demonstrators remaining peaceful.
"What we’re seeing downtown is just horrible," Bass said, adding, "But you know that the majority of people that attended the protest this afternoon were peaceful. It’s my understanding that over 100 people have been arrested tonight, the majority of them for unlawful assembly."
Bass blamed the violence on "fringe groups", distancing the unrest from immigrant rights advocates. The protests erupted following a June 7 raid by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which aimed to identify and detain undocumented immigrants in the downtown area.
Recent ICE raid in Los Angeles sparks clashes
In reaction to the developments, California Governor Gavin Newsom warned that the state might withhold federal tax contributions in protest against the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to federal funding. The day after the ICE raid and public unrest, the White House ordered the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to the city.
Governor Newsom formally requested that the deployment decision be reversed, accusing the White House of inciting unrest. He stated that local authorities had not encountered significant issues until federal intervention began, arguing that the administration's actions fueled the escalation.
On a related note, in a recent statement by President Donald Trump on Monday, he warned that those who spit in the face of National Guard troops deployed in Los Angeles amid ongoing protests against his administration's crackdown on illegal immigration would be "hit" hard.
"I don't want a civil war. Civil War would happen if you left it, if you left it to people like him. And I liked him, you know, I always got along with him. Never had a problem with him, but he's grossly incompetent," Trump said.
