Protests slam emergency declaration for border wall

NEW YORK — Protesters converged in cities around the country Monday to decry President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency to fund his planned U.S.-Mexico border wall.

Organized by the liberal group Move-On and others, the demonstrations took the occasion of Presidents Day to assail Trump’s proclamation as undemocratic and anti-immigrant.

“Trump is the national emergency!” chanted a group of hundreds lined up at the White House fence, where some held up large letters spelling out “stop power grab.” In downtown Fort Worth, Texas, a small group carried signs with messages including “no wall! #Fake TrumpEmergency.”

In Newark, New Jersey, Kelly Quirk told a gathering of dozens that “democracy demands” saying “no more” to Trump.

“There are plenty of real emergencies to invest our tax dollars in,” said Quirk, part of a local progressive group called Soma Action.

There were some counter-protesters, including in Washington, where there was a brief scuffle in the crowd.

Trump’s declaration Friday shifts billions of dollars from military construction to the border. The move came after Congress didn’t approve as much as Trump wanted for the wall, which the Republican considers a national security necessity.

His emergency proclamation calls the border “a major entry point for criminals, gang members, and illicit narcotics.”