17 arrested during Denver protest against ICE; police fire pepper balls to disperse crowds

Denver police arrested more than a dozen people Tuesday night as demonstrators marched in protest of federal immigration raids and to show solidarity with Los Angeles protesters.

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Colorado State Capitol at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday before they split in half, marching down two different thoroughfares and crowding out traffic.

“I want to be present and stand up to what I think is really wrong,” Bonnie Lloyd, of Broomfield, told Denver7 at the protest.

The Denver march was one of dozens of emergency “ICE Out!” protests across the country that were planned in response to President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles.

“The people of Los Angeles have taken a courageous stand against Trump’s reign of terror targeting immigrant families,” Denver organizers wrote on social media. “In response, the administration has falsely labeled those taking to the streets as ‘rioters’ and called in thousands of National Guard soldiers for a crackdown. The people are not deterred.”

As of 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, 17 protesters had been arrested on charges ranging from obstruction of streets to assaulting a police officer, according to a news release from the Denver Police Department.

Those arrests included:

• Seven people on suspicion of obstruction of streets and failure to obey a lawful order
• Three people on suspicion of graffiti
• Two people on suspicion of obstruction of streets, failure to obey a lawful order and interference with police authority
• Two people on suspicion of second-degree assault to a peace officer
• One person on suspicion of interference with police authority
• One person on suspicion of unlawful throwing of projectiles and failure to obey a lawful order
• One person on suspicion of second-degree assault

Officers used smoke and fired pepper balls — which burst and spread a powder that’s like pepper spray — in multiple areas of downtown Denver to disperse crowds blocking roadways or to “deny their access to areas,” police said in a news release.

The police department denied using tear gas.

Several people threw rocks and bottles at officers during the protest, police said.

Protests sparked in Los Angeles on Friday over immigration enforcement raids and escalated after Trump mobilized hundreds of National Guard troops and Marines.

“It’s not just about the violence that’s happening against protesters during protests, it’s the violence that’s happening during the separation of families,” Alfonso Espino Reyna of the party for Socialism and Liberation in Colorado told Denver7. “It’s the violence that’s happening at the border. It’s the violence that’s happening to families all across this country.”

Activists across the country are planning more demonstrations, including hundreds of “No Kings” protests on Saturday to coincide with Trump’s birthday and a planned military parade.

Coloradans in nearly 50 towns and cities have scheduled “No Kings” protests. From Denver and Boulder to Pueblo and Grand Junction, the planned protests span the state.

Rally organizers in at least one Douglas County town pushed back against officials who pressured them to cancel the protest.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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