Latest news with #Protest
Malay Mail
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
US immigration crackdown: Are masked ICE agents creating a ‘secret police' in America?
Protesters in Los Angeles conducted a loud overnight demonstration outside a hotel, aiming to disrupt US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents over the agency's aggressive tactics. The 'No Sleep For ICE' rallies highlight growing public anger and fear among immigrant communities and some Americans regarding the agency's methods, including masked agents and the detention of US citizens. Critics, including a think tank fellow and California lawmakers, have raised concerns about federal agents wearing masks, likening the practice to a 'secret police' and introducing legislation to restrict it. LOS ANGELES, June 22 — After night fell on the outskirts of Los Angeles on Thursday, around 50 people clanged metal pots and blasted air horns outside a hotel in a noisy bedtime protest targeting US immigration agents. The 'No Sleep For ICE' rally underscored growing anger at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a once obscure agency that has become the focal point of President Donald Trump's migrant crackdown. 'They terrorise our community the entire day. Why do they get a good night's sleep?' said Nathanael Landaverde, 23, who banged a dismantled frying pan at the protest. Dramatic images have shown federal agents, often masked and sometimes armed with assault rifles, chasing down migrants and handcuffing them at courthouses, farms and on the streets. ICE officials have also detained some US citizens for allegedly intervening in arrests, including a mayoral candidate in New York this week. The heavy-handed approach has sparked fear among immigrants and infuriated many Americans, particularly in liberal cities such as Los Angeles, where large-scale street protests erupted this month over ICE raids. 'If they do not sleep they are not going to do their job effectively. They are going to get fewer people,' added Landaverde, as passing vehicles honked in apparent support for the late-night rally. It was not certain whether ICE agents were staying at the three-star hotel, but protest organisers claimed to have photo evidence. Dozens of people danced to a deafening cacophony as they waved signs reading 'No rest for ICE' and 'ICE out of LA' towards the hotel, where some guests peered through the curtains. One woman simply screamed into a megaphone. Another man wore earmuffs as he blasted distorted white noise through a speaker. 'They are ripping families apart, and it is horrifying to watch in my community. They cannot sleep if they are going to do that here,' said Juliet Austin, 22, who was playing a small blue accordion. A man is detained as clashes break out after community members pushed back against a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) attempt to raid a store in Bell, just south of Los Angeles, California, on June 20, 2025. — AFP pic 'Secret police' Trump was elected to a second term in large part for his promise to deport thousands of migrants. But alongside their aggressive tactics, critics have denounced federal immigration agents for wearing face masks to hide their identities — a highly unusual but legal practice in US law enforcement. 'At what point will we as a nation find ourselves with a secret police?' Walter Olson, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute think tank, wrote last month. 'For the Trump administration, turning masked raids into standard practice fits into a wider effort to dodge accountability for potentially illegal and unconstitutional actions,' he added. In California, lawmakers have introduced the 'No Secret Police Act' that would restrict federal agents from wearing masks. Federal officials have rejected this criticism by claiming that agents wear masks to protect them from potential reprisals. Meanwhile, ICE has frequently boasted about its activities and posted pictures of detained migrants on social media. And it crucially still enjoys Trump's support, who last weekend praised ICE agents' 'incredible strength, determination, and courage.' Still, anger over ICE looks unlikely to go away as long as immigration arrests continue, and protesters Thursday were adamant they would not back down. 'I think it is a modern Gestapo here in America,' said Austin, a dance teacher. 'This city is not the one to mess with... We are not going to let it happen. We are not tired,' she added. — AFP
ABC News
11 hours ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Mahmoud Khalil vows to resume pro-Palestinian activism after release
Palestinian rights activist Mahmoud Khalil says he will continue to protest against what he calls US government-funded genocide in Gaza. Mr Khalil said the Trump administration and Colombia University, where he protested, were complicit in Israel's actions in Gaza. "Not only if they threaten me with detention, even if they would kill me, I would still speak up for Palestine again," Mr Khalil said. "I just want to go back and just continue the work that I was already doing, advocating for Palestinian rights, speech that should actually be celebrated rather than punished." Mr Khalil, 30, was reunited with his wife Noor Abdalla, a US citizen, at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on Saturday afternoon. He was met by friends and supporters, including US Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The US government still wants to deport Mr Khalil, a permanent US resident, arguing his activism is detrimental to American foreign policy interests. Mr Khalil, who recently graduated from Columbia University in Manhattan, was a prominent figure in the pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel student protest movement that swept campuses last year. Federal immigration agents arrested him in the lobby of his Columbia apartment building on March 8, making him the first target of Mr Trump's effort to deport international students with pro-Palestinian or anti-Israel views. Ms Ocasio-Cortez, speaking alongside Mr Khalil at the airport, condemned the Trump administration for what she called "persecution based on political speech". "Being taken is wrong. It is illegal," she said. "It is an affront to every American." Mr Khalil was born and raised in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria and lawfully became a permanent US resident last year. Nonetheless, citing an obscure part of federal immigration law that has not been invoked in more than 20 years, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he had determined that Mr Khalil and several other foreign pro-Palestinian students at US schools must be deported because their presence could harm the government's foreign policy interests. Protesters, including some Jewish groups, said the government wrongly conflated their criticism of the Israeli government, one of the United States' closest allies, with antisemitism. This month, US District Judge Michael Farbiarz in New Jersey ruled that the government could not detain or deport Mr Khalil based on Mr Rubio's determination, finding the Trump administration was violating Mr Khalil's constitutional right to free speech. On Friday, he ordered the Trump administration to release Mr Khalil on bail while he continues to fight the government's deportation efforts and his lawsuit accusing the government of wrongful detention. A spokesperson for Mr Trump said in a statement after the ruling that Mr Khalil should be deported for "conduct detrimental to American foreign policy interests" and for omitting or incorrectly describing his employment history on his application form to become a permanent resident. Mr Khalil has said his application form was correct and the allegations of omission were spurious. Also on Friday, an immigration court in Louisiana ruled that Mr Khalil must be deported. He will now challenge the decision in the immigration court, which is run by the Department of Justice rather than the government's judicial branch, through the Board of Immigration Appeals. The Trump administration appealed Judge Farbiarz's rulings on Friday evening to the US Court of Appeals. ABC/wires
News.com.au
a day ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
Senator Lidia Thorpe's rude gesture to King Charles III on London trip
Senator Lidia Thorpe has sparked controversy after sharing photos of herself standing outside Buckingham Palace making a rude gesture. The independent senator, who made international headlines after gatecrashing an event during King Charles III's visit to Australia and yelling 'you are not my king', was in London this week to attend a conference. During her trip she donned a 'blak sovereign movement' shirt and was pictured outside the gates of Buckingham Palace holding an Aboriginal flag, making a rude gesture with her middle finger and standing with her hands on her hips. She shared the three images to social media with the caption: 'Dropped by to collect all the stuff this lot stole, but Charlie wasn't in.' The post sparked division among her followers. On Instagram, the reception was largely positive, with multiple users calling Senator Thorpe 'the only Queen I'll recognise' or 'our Queen'. 'This made my day,' one follower wrote, while another said it was 'great to see you delivering your middle finger for his bday in person!' The King's birthday was celebrated on June 14 in the UK. On Facebook, where comments on the post were blocked, others shared the post with less enthusiastic commentary. 'What a shock she did not get an invite into the palace,' one user wrote. 'What a bloody embarrassment,' another said. While the Senator's actions sparked debate online, they were less disruptive than her shock protest during the King's visit to Australia last year. The Indigenous MP sparked international outrage after screaming out 'f**k the colony' in the Great Hall at Parliament House in Canberra shortly after the King had given a speech praising Australia. 'You are not our king. You are not sovereign,' she yelled at the monarch, 'You committed genocide against our people. Give us our land back. 'Give us what you stole from us: our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people. 'You destroyed our land. Give us a Treaty. We want a Treaty in this country. You are a genocidalist. This is not your land. This is not your land. You are not my king. You are not our king. F. k the colony, f. k the colony, f. k the colony.' She was evicted by security guards who had been watching her throughout the proceedings, continuing to yell as she was removed from the room.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
What do the anti-Trump protests look like in South Florida? See for yourself
Hundreds of chanting protesters, carrying signs with phrases like 'Defend Democracy' and 'No Kings since 1776,' rallied across South Florida Saturday, joining nationwide protests against Trump administration policies. There were more than 70 protests planned across Florida, including in Miami, Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale. Here's what the scenes look like:
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
L.A. Police Push Back Protesters With Tear Gas and Flash Bangs
Police ordered thousands of anti-Trump and anti-ICE demonstrators to leave after the official end of the No Kings protest in downtown Los Angeles.
