Hundreds of protesters are seen in Washington, D.C., on Monday protesting President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and demanding the release of a prominent California labor union leader. (Breanne Deppisch/Fox News Digital)
An immigration protest in Washington, D.C., on Monday afternoon was notably tame. However, the crowd was massive, drawing hundreds of protesters to the city's downtown area. Other demonstrations are slated to take place in the Washington, D.C.-area throughout the week, including a planned demonstration in the nearby Columbia Heights neighborhood.
U.S. Park Police told reporters this week that they are tracking nine planned protests in Washington, D.C., on Saturday.
Trump, for his part, attempted to get ahead of any protests that could snarl the planned display of military might, warning that any demonstrators that attempted to disrupt the event "will be met with very heavy force."
"I haven't even heard about a protest, but [there are] people that hate our country," he told reporters Tuesday afternoon.
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Hundreds of protesters are seen in Washington, D.C., protesting President Donald Trump deploying the National Guard. (Breanne Deppisch/Fox News Digital)
Huerta was released Monday evening on bail. He has since been charged with felony conspiracy to impede an officer, which carries a maximum penalty of up to six years in federal prison.
"We’re sick and tired of the illegal acts of the administration," Jaime Contreras, the executive vice president of SEIU's Capital Area District chapter, told Fox News Digital in an interview, pointing to the administration's arrest of Huerta and also the arrest of "so many innocent immigrants" in the U.S. who have been swept up in ICE raids.
"All they want is to provide a better life for their family, which is why your ancestors came to this country," he said.
The group, which included labor and union groups, among other protesters, marched past the Justice Department entrance and the FBI’s headquarters downtown, chanting and holding signs. The demonstrators yelled, "Pam Bondi, shame on you!" as they gathered outside the entrance to the building.
Nearby, employees at the J. Edgar Hoover Building – which since the 1970s has served as the FBI’s national headquarters – could be seen watching the demonstration unfold from the confines of the building’s infamously brutalist-style balconies.
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Hundreds of protesters are seen in Washington, D.C., protesting President Trump’s immigration crackdown and demanding the release of a prominent California labor union leader. (Breanne Deppisch/Fox News Digital)
"So yes, people are afraid— but people are also angry. And angry is a great organizing tool for all."
Beyond Washington, the demonstrations and skirmishes add heat to an already fast-boiling standoff, as both the Trump administration and many protesters have said they have no plans to stand down from the fight.
"We'll be back," some protesters chanted on Monday.
Meanwhile, Trump officials took to social media to condemn the wave of new protests, with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem noting that ICE, which falls under her department’s purview, will "continue to enforce the law."
"If you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," she vowed.
Breanne Deppisch is a national politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI, and other national news.
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