May Day protesters denounce Trump's immigration policies

People march and rally on May Day, on May 1, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by AFP)

A large number of people have held May Day demonstrations in several US cities, criticizing President Donald Trump for his hostile policies toward undocumented immigrants.

The labor activists, who led the Tuesday protests, described Trump’s crackdown on immigration as an assault on vulnerable workers in some of the country’s lowest-paying jobs.

Los Angeles saw the biggest rally where several hundred peaceful protesters marched through downtown under cloudy skies and a slight drizzle, carrying banners in support of union and immigration, while chanting, "Union power" and "This is what democracy looks like."

"No rain, no clouds, no hate, no division is going to keep workers from celebrating with immigrants, with refugees ..., with the criminal justice reform community, with the environmental justice community," union leader Laphonza Butler told the crowd.

Protester Fabian Barcenas said he wanted to give voice to "millions of workers who pay taxes and support their families who don't have the chance of having legal status here."

In New York City, demonstrators marched up Broadway to Wall Street, while in Seattle, officers apprehended a man suspected of throwing a rock during a rally there.

Dozens of union members, activists and others attend a May Day protest in Washington Square Park on May 1, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by AFP)

Organizers aimed to combine traditional May Day themes of protecting workers' rights with a condemnation of increased deportations under Trump as well as a call for voters to go to the polls for the upcoming mid-term congressional elections.

They also decried Trump administration policies and rhetoric they called hostile to the environment, racial and ethnic minorities and women.

The protesters denounced the administration's decision to end temporary protected status for thousands of immigrants from several countries, liked Nicaragua, Haiti, El Salvador, Sudan and Nepal which had suffered from natural disasters or conflict.

Another thing they spoke against was the unclear future of around 700,000 young immigrants, who were  brought to the US illegally as children and now are facing possible deportation after Trump decided to scrap an Obama-era program protecting them.

The leaders of the demonstrations emphasized the fact that such policies extremely hurt undocumented workers toiling in low-wage, non-unionized sectors such as fast-food, hospitality, child care and agriculture.

Trump’s anti-immigration policies have created outrage in the US and across the globe. Analysts say Trump has fueled racial tensions in the United States with his divisive rhetoric against Muslim and Hispanic immigrants, as well as other ethnic minorities.

The president has issued three travel bans since coming to office in January. His third ban was announced September 24 and took effect October 18.