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WATCH: Seattle protesters torch dumpster and clash with police over ICE raids

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(The Center Square) – A Wednesday night protest in Seattle against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement resulted in a dumpster fire, e-scooter blockades, fireworks and eight arrests.

The protest – dubbed “From LA to Seattle: ICE out!” – comes amid national unrest over immigration enforcement, particularly in Los Angeles, where protests escalated into clashes between protesters and law enforcement, vandalism and looting. By Wednesday evening, some 500 National Guard troops had been deployed to assist ICE agents during operations in the City of Angels.

The Seattle branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation posted the protest details on social media, referring to the L.A. protests as a “courageous stand against [President Donald] Trump’s reign of terror targeting immigrant families.”

Protesters marched from Cal Anderson Park in the Capitol Hill neighborhood down to the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building in downtown Seattle, with chants directed at ICE, drums, and signs that read “no one is illegal on stolen land,” “ICE melts in hell” and other more explicit signage.

One person spray painted on the federal building window “F**k that guy” with an arrow pointing at a portrait of Trump hanging inside the building.

The Seattle Police Department monitored the event at the federal building from a block away as protesters spray painted its walls and windows, and barricaded entrances with Lime e-scooters and bikes. In a press release, the department noted that “most of the march was peaceful.”

The protest escalated around 10 p.m. when some individuals set fire to a dumpster in the middle of 3rd Avenue and Marion Street. Police began staging near the group while they waited for the Seattle Fire Department to arrive. The department noted that some protesters threw bottles, rocks, and concrete chunks at them.

Fireworks were set off around the dumpster fire, startling protesters who held Mexican flags and anti-ICE signs. One firework was thrown at officers at 10 p.m. That’s when officers on bicycles clashed with the crowd, deploying pepper spray. The incident resulted in eight arrests.

No injuries were reported by the police department.

In a social media post, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell said he was grateful for Seattle police officers exercising professionalism in safely managing the protest when violence occurred.

“While we are grateful to those who peacefully expressed their view, we will not tolerate violence or property destruction in our city,” Harrell said.

The city is preparing for another protest at the Seattle Center on Saturday as part of the nationwide “No Kings” anti-Trump event.

Harrell said his office is “closely coordinating with SPD and state partners on preparations so that everyone can exercise their First Amendment rights safely.”