Thousands have rallied nationwide in fierce protest against ICE policies in Los Angeles County, fueled by recent immigration raids at a Home Depot and a nearby meatpacking plant in Paramount, a suburb with a large Latino community.
Federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) searched several locations, including a clothing warehouse, after a judge found that the employer may have used false documents for some of its workers, according to officials from the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
These raids are part of a larger effort connected to stricter immigration policies introduced during the Trump administration.
Demonstrators gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, where tensions began to rise.
The day before, federal agents had used loud flash-bang grenades and tear gas to break up protests outside the same facility.
Clashes also occurred in nearby cities like Paramount and Compton, where a car was set on fire.
In response, President Trump ordered the deployment of at least 2,000 National Guard troops to help manage the situation, a rare move, as it was the first time in decades that the National Guard was activated without a request from the governor.
California Governor Gavin Newsom opposed this decision, calling on the federal government to cancel the order and return control of the National Guard back to the state.
He called the deployment “a spectacle,” arguing that it was not about maintaining order but staging political theatre.
“There is no shortage of law enforcement,” he said. “There is a shortage of federal restraint.” The state had not requested troops. It didn’t want them. And yet, by nightfall, they were en route.
As protests continued, demonstrators tried to prevent ICE agents from leaving the area.
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Protests also took place outside a federal building in downtown Los Angeles after rumors spread that detainees were being held there.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris spoke out against sending the National Guard, labeling it a risky decision that could lead to more chaos.
She expressed her concern over the situation in Los Angeles, stating, “Deploying the National Guard is a dangerous escalation meant to provoke chaos. The recent ICE raids, part of the Trump Administration’s agenda, are not about public safety but about spreading fear among communities seeking dignity and due process.”
Harris highlighted the importance of peaceful protest in the fight for justice and noted that according to the Los Angeles Police Department, the Mayor, and the Governor, many protests supporting immigrant rights had remained peaceful.
She expressed her continued support for the millions of Americans striving to defend their fundamental rights and freedoms.
Meanwhile, In one day, over 121 immigrants were taken into custody. As tensions rose, protesters threw glass bottles and fireworks, prompting law enforcement to respond with pepper balls and loud bang devices.
In Paramount, a key location of the protests, federal officers fired rubber bullets to break up a large crowd. Many people were chanting in Spanish and holding their phones and homemade signs.
Nearby, motorcycles zoomed between the police and the protesters, creating a chaotic scene that felt like a distorted video game. Music played loudly, tear gas hung in the air, and the atmosphere was thick with tension.
