Hundreds of Demonstrators Resume Immigration Protests in Downtown LA

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (CNS) - Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in downtown Los Angeles today, continuing protests for a second day against President Donald Trump's illegal immigration policies.
Demonstrators assembled at the steps of City Hall, close to the Hollywood (101) Freeway Monday morning, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Around 11 a.m., protesters were marching along West 1st and North Spring streets.
The protests started Sunday morning on Olvera Street in what the Los Angeles Police Department described as a non-permitted demonstration. The crowd swelled to a few thousand as they marched to City Hall, with many eventually making their way onto the freeway near the Alameda Street exit.
Thousands of protesters blocked traffic on the freeway Sunday and clashed with law enforcement before dispersing in the evening. Footage from the scene showed boisterous protesters walking on both sides of the freeway shortly after noon, many waving U.S. and Mexico flags and holding signs criticizing ICE.
The LAPD, which had earlier called the demonstration peaceful, reported that Spring Street, Main Street, Los Angeles Street, Arcadia Street and the Santa Monica (101) Freeway were are under major gridlock by Sunday afternoon.
Downtown Los Angeles was already experiencing traffic delays in the area around Crypto.com Arena, where a number of streets were closed for Sunday's Grammy Awards.
Police briefly opened the freeway in both directions around midday, when the demonstration had moved back onto surface streets. However, protesters managed to get back on the freeway, leading to another shut down.
The California Highway Patrol stated, "Accessing state highways or roads to protest is unlawful and extremely dangerous because it puts protesters, motorists and first-responders at great risk of injury.''
The freeway was fully opened on Sunday night.
Video posted later showed a few demonstrators spraying graffiti on the freeway walls and appearing to vandalize at least one car that was stopped in the middle of the crowd.
Since taking office on Jan. 20, Trump has acted on his campaign promise to increase deportations, with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducting raids in major cities.