Protesters block major highway in Los Angeles

In Southern California, thousands of people marched to protest U.S. President Donald Trump's planned mass deportation operations. The march included a demonstration in downtown Los Angeles, where protesters blocked a major highway.

Protesters gathered in the morning at Los Angeles' historic Olvera Street, which dates back to the Spanish and Mexican rule, before marching to City Hall. They called for immigration reform and held banners with slogans such as "No one is illegal."

By the afternoon, the marchers had blocked all lanes of U.S. Highway 101, causing traffic congestion in both directions as well as on surface streets in the downtown area. Demonstrators sat in the highway lanes while California Highway Patrol officers stood by. The California Highway Patrol and the Los Angeles Police Department stated that there were no reports of arrests.

In the east, hundreds of people held a protest in Riverside. The Southern California News Group reported that passing motorists honked and shouted in support of the demonstrators who were waving flags at an intersection. Marchers held Mexican and American flags, and speakers expressed anger at Trump and his administration's rhetoric regarding increased deportations.

Signs held by protesters included one that read "Immigrants Make America Great." The Los Angeles protesters (pictured) joined other rallies in San Diego and Texas.