Protesters against deportations block major Los Angeles freeway
The protesters assembled in the morning at LA's historic Olvera Street, which has ties to Spanish and Mexican heritage, before marching to City Hall
Thousands of people in Southern California protested against the mass deportations planned by President Donald Trump on Sunday, including in downtown Los Angeles, where demonstrators blocked a major freeway for several hours, reports AP.
The protesters assembled in the morning at LA's historic Olvera Street, which has ties to Spanish and Mexican heritage, before marching to City Hall. They called for immigration reform and carried banners with messages such as "Nobody is illegal.
By the afternoon, the marchers had blocked all lanes of U.S. 101, causing significant traffic congestion in both directions and on surface streets. The protesters sat down in the lanes, while a line of California Highway Patrol officers observed. It took over five hours for the freeway to fully reopen, according to CHP Lt. Matt Gutierrez.
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Both the CHP and the Los Angeles Police Department reported no arrests.
Elsewhere, hundreds of people gathered in Riverside, where drivers honked and cheered in support of the demonstrators waving flags at an intersection, as reported by the Southern California News Group.
In San Diego, hundreds rallied near the city's convention centre on Sunday.
Meanwhile, in Texas, demonstrators held protests in downtown Dallas against recent arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Dallas police estimated around 1,600 people attended the two rallies.
Marchers carried both Mexican and American flags, with speakers voicing their anger at Trump's rhetoric and his administration's actions to increase deportations. One sign read, "Immigrants Make America Great."
