Tensions flared Tuesday after a workplace immigration raid at a meatpacking plant in Omaha led to the arrest of approximately 70 undocumented immigrants. The operation, carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), quickly escalated into chaos as protesters clashed with federal agents.
The arrests took place at Glenn Valley Foods as part of what ICE described as an “ongoing criminal investigation into the large-scale employment of unauthorized workers.” According to officials speaking to the Associated Press, the raid marks the largest workplace enforcement action in Nebraska since the start of President Donald Trump’s current term.
As federal vehicles prepared to leave the facility, protesters began gathering outside. According to local outlet Flatwater Free Press, the scene quickly turned volatile. Demonstrators surrounded the ICE convoy, throwing rocks and debris, and jumping onto moving vehicles. At least one window on a federal car was shattered.
Video footage posted online shows demonstrators yelling profanities and slogans at officers, kicking vehicles, and in some instances, climbing on their hoods. One clip captures the sound of breaking glass as the convoy attempts to drive off.
The unrest in Omaha follows days of violence in Los Angeles, where similar anti-ICE protests erupted over the weekend. Rioters in California targeted federal agents, set vehicles ablaze, looted stores, and blocked highways. One widely circulated image shows a protester waving a Mexican flag amid clouds of smoke from burning cars.
In response to the nationwide backlash, President Trump has taken a hard stance. Speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday, he confirmed that additional raids would be conducted across the country. He warned that any future violence would be met with “equal or greater force” than what was deployed in Los Angeles.
Over the weekend, Trump authorized the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to cities affected by unrest — bypassing California Governor Gavin Newsom, who in turn filed a lawsuit accusing the administration of unlawfully federalizing the state’s guard units. Hundreds of active-duty Marines have also been sent to assist in riot control efforts.
With input from Fox News.
