MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday condemned violent acts committed during the massive protests that have broken out in Los Angeles against immigration raids.
Sheinbaum, speaking at her morning press conference, also called on U.S. authorities to respect the rule of law in migration processes.
“It must be clear: We condemn violence wherever it comes from,” Sheinbaum said.
Protests spread in Los Angeles during the weekend over President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement as groups of protesters, many carrying Mexican flags and signs denouncing U.S. immigration authorities, gathered in spots around the city.
“We call on the Mexican community to act peacefully and not fall for provocations,” Sheinbaum said. She did not specifically call for an end to the protests.
The protests have included burning cars and some protesters throwing bottles and concrete projectiles, according to police. California Governor Gavin Newsom has said Trump inflamed the situation by deploying the National Guard.
Trump has referred to the protesters as insurrectionists and the unrest in Los Angeles has become a flashpoint in his signature effort to clamp down on illegal immigration.
The Republican has pledged to deport record numbers of people who are in the country illegally and to lock down the U.S.-Mexico border, setting the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement border enforcement agency a daily goal of arresting at least 3,000 migrants.
At least 42 Mexicans are being held in four detention centers after recent immigration raids in Los Angeles, and four were deported, Mexico Foreign Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente said, speaking alongside Sheinbaum.
“We will continue our visits to monitor the Mexicans in detention centers in Los Angeles,” De la Fuente said.
He added the vast majority of Mexicans detained were working when they were arrested.
(Reporting by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez and Raul Cortes; Editing by Kylie Madry, Brendan O’Boyle and Rod Nickel)
