LA rages

Unrest to hit other cities, warn officials

- MARTIN FRICKER

VIOLENT protests against President Trump's immigration raids were last night threatening to spread from LA to other US cities.

Demonstrators torched cars and forced the closure of a major freeway in Los Angeles. Violence also broke out in neighbouring San Francisco, sparking fears the trouble could expand.

Former New York governor Andrew Cuomo predicted the unrest would spread to his home city. He told Bloomberg Radio: "I believe it's going to get worse and it's going to be New York." President Trump's administration is aiming to arrest 3000 undocumented migrants a day as part of an unprecedented anti-immigration crackdown.

The unrest first erupted in LA on Friday after officers of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, known as ICE, carried out raids across the city. Operations were centred in the southern suburb of Paramount, where more than 82 per cent are Hispanic.

Downtown LA became the focus of protests on Sunday after it emerged detainees were being held in the Federal Building. Mexico's foreign minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente said at least 42 Mexicans - 37 men and five women - were being held in LA.

He said they were detained in four detention centres following immigration raids, adding: "We will continue our visits to monitor the Mexicans in detention centres in Los Angeles." Demonstrators were also angered by the deployment of National Guard troops in LA. More than 300 members of the California unit were deployed to three locations after Trump initially said there would be 2000.

Police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse thousands and made at least 10 arrests.

A British photographer and Australian TV reporter were injured by projectiles fired by LAPD officers.