WATCH: Police Standoff with Mexican Anti-ICE Protesters Blocking Los Angeles Highway

California anti-deportation activists swarmed a major downtown Los Angeles freeway on Sunday, shutting down the roadway and standing off with police as they waved Mexican flags.

The 101 Freeway, one of the most congested highways in the nation, was blocked off by a mass of hundreds of migrants, mostly appearing to boast Mexican heritage, videos show:

The protest grew into a massive standoff with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), with shocking footage showing over a dozen police cruisers across four lanes of blocked-off traffic:

The California Department of Transportation issued a traffic alert around 1:20 p.m. local time, telling motorists to “avoid travel in Downtown Los Angeles at this time”:

“The 101 is closed in both directions between the 110 Freeway and Mission Road due to a protest and police activity. Avoid the area. Use other routes,” the department announced on X. 

California Highway Patrol (CHP) also made an announcement telling drivers to avoid the freeway, adding that “accessing state highways or roads to protest is unlawful and extremely dangerous because it puts protesters, motorists and first responders at great risk of injury”:

By around 4:00 p.m. local time, the LAPD said that the protesters left the road and converged at City Hall, CBS News reported.

There are no reports of arrests as of Sunday evening. 

More than 1,000 anti-ICE protesters also descended upon the San Diego Convention Center on Sunday, also donning Mexican flags, a local NBC affiliate reported.

Another similar protest erupted during the same afternoon outside City Hall in Dallas, Texas, according to Dallas Morning News. 

The rally is part of a nationwide effort demanding “Legalization for all and an end to unjust immigration policies,” organizers told the outlet.

The event was described as “mostly peaceful” by the publication, and no arrests were reported.