With more than 1,000 protests planned nationwide for Jan. 10 and Jan. 11 amid heightened tensions over two recent shootings by federal immigration enforcement agents, this might seem like a good opportunity for the Justice Department to deploy its "peacemaking" unit that for decades de-escalated confrontations at demonstrations and helped prevent deadly police responses.

Activist organizations are planning at least 1,000 protests and vigils this weekend. Officials in major cities cast Saturday's demonstrations as largely peaceful.

From a downtown march to a last-minute town hall, throngs of people gathered Saturday to protest the Trump administration.