Protests against immigration raids stretched into the night in Orange County with demonstrators taking to the streets of Santa Ana for the second straight day.
One female protester said it was her first time doing so because she’s a child of immigrants and she felt the need to be there for those who can’t.
“I see the fear in my parents’ eyes. I see the fear every day coming out here in Santa Ana,” she told KTLA 5. “This is my hometown. This is all I know. And I see every single day, elders, the Federal man in the corner of the street, and he’s they’re worried. So I have to do this. Have to do this. This is a new generation, and I have to.”
Things started peacefully, but as the protest grew, so did tensions.
The demonstration later escalated into violent confrontations with police at the intersection of Bristol and 1st Streets. This prompted police officers to use tear gas and less-than-lethal projectiles. Many retaliated by hurling bottles through the air, landing near officers in riot gear. Fireworks were also detonated.
More than 100 demonstrators split from the crowd and gathered at the O.C. Civic Center and started heading towards the federal building just a block away. They chanted things like “Nazi soldiers” at nearby officers as snipers watched them closely.
Video obtained by KTLA 5 showed the large group moving along Bristol Street, eventually engaging in a tense standoff with law enforcement. At around 8:00 p.m., police declared an unlawful assembly and deployed tear gas to push back the crowds.
No officers are believed to have been injured. A couple of arrests were made on Tuesday evening. Since the protests started on Monday, more than a dozen people have been arrested in Santa Ana in total.
As of Wednesday morning, Homeland Security and the National Guard are standing by the federal building in downtown Santa Ana at the corner of Parton Street and Santa Ana Boulevard.
