RICHMOND, Va. — Governor Glenn Youngkin (R-Va.) has a message for anyone who plans to take part in protests over federal immigration enforcement and/or President Donald Trump: "If you violate the law, you will be arrested."
Ahead of planned protests both Friday night and Saturday in Richmond and around Virginia, the governor said he fully supports the First Amendment and its protection of the right to demonstrate.
"But I want to be really clear, crystal clear, that there will be zero tolerance for any violence, for any destruction of personal property, business property, for disrupting traffic, and putting people's lives in danger," Youngkin said at a Friday afternoon press event.
Activists are planning “No Kings” protests across the country on Saturday to counter Trump's planned military parade in Washington, D.C.
As a result, Youngkin said Virginia was "mobilizing substantial resources."
"State police, local resources, and yes, National Guard resources, to make sure that we have a substantial presence across the Commonwealth to, yes, make sure that First Amendment rights can be exercised. But if you violate the law, you will be arrested," he said. "People can plan demonstrations for any reason that they wish to under our Constitution, and I swore that I would protect and defend that Constitution, and I will. But I will also make sure that the law isn't violated, and that's why we are moving substantial resources around the state to keep Virginians safe."
Youngkin said he receives two daily briefings from the National Guard, which is positioned throughout the state.
"The way that Title 32 works for me is that I can involve the Guard in public disturbance efforts, and so I'm already doing that," he said. "The Guard is going through its last-minute preparations, and we will have them pre-positioned. Many of them will already be involved in security events around the state. And so you will see Guard presence, you will see state police presence, you will see our tactical team presence, you will see local police presence all over the state in order to do exactly what I said: to make sure that protests are enabled, because it's very clear that the constitutional right to plan demonstrations is part of that. But there will be no violence, there will be no law breaking, there will be no disruption of traffic that would put people's lives in danger allowed, and if you do it, you're going to be arrested."
Although many nationwide demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been peaceful, others have led to clashes with police, and hundreds of protesters have been arrested.
Here's a look at some recent protests and reactions across the country:
Newark, New Jersey
Protesters locked arms and pushed against the gates of a federal immigration detention center on Thursday after learning of unrest inside over delayed meals.
Officers responded to the protest outside Delaney Hall by pepper-spraying the demonstrators and dragging them away, according to Amy Torres, executive director of New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. Torres said some protesters suffered minor injuries during the fracas.
On Friday, the Department of Homeland Security said four detainees escaped from the 1,000-bed facility late Thursday and that law enforcement personnel were searching for them.
Chicago
Hundreds of demonstrators packed a park plaza near Lake Michigan on Thursday. Veronica Castro, an organizer with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, urged people to learn how to protect themselves and called on elected officials to speak out.
The group later marched through a popular downtown shopping district flanked by their own security marshals and Chicago police officers on bicycles and in slow-moving patrol cars.
Spokane, Washington
Mayor Lisa Brown imposed an overnight curfew in downtown Spokane after a protest Wednesday outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office that ended with more than 30 arrests and police firing pepper balls at the crowd.
Brown said the majority of the protesters were peaceful.
“We respect their right to peacefully protest and to be upset about federal policies,” she said. “I have been that person who has protested federal policies, and that is a right we have.”
Anchorage, Alaska
A small group of demonstrators protested for a fourth straight day Thursday outside the Anchorage Correctional Complex, where ICE has detained nearly 40 people. Using a bullhorn aimed at the facility's front doors, demonstrator Courtney Moore declared, “ICE out of Anchorage, ICE out of Alaska.”
Betsy Holley, a spokesperson with the Alaska Department of Corrections, said 39 people were in ICE custody at the Anchorage jail. The department said its facilities will be on lockdown through the weekend as a “proactive response to calls for grassroots protests across the state.”
No Kings protests
No Kings demonstrations are planned for nearly 2,000 locations around the country, organizers said on the movement's website.
The Richmond protest is scheduled for 5 p.m. near the State Capitol.
A flagship march and rally are planned in Philadelphia, but no protests are scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C., where Trump's military parade will take place.
In Florida, Republican state Attorney General James Uthmeier warned that any No Kings protesters who become violent will be dealt with harshly.
In a message sent Thursday, a Justice Department official told U.S. attorneys across the country to prioritize cases against protesters who engage in violence and destruction. The email cited several potential federal charges, including assault, civil disorder and damage of government property.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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