Who The protesters in Los Angeles come from diverse backgrounds, united by shared concerns over justice, human rights, and government actions. They include students, community organizers, immigrant rights activists, labor union members, religious leaders, and everyday citizens. Many are advocating for immigration reform, police accountability, and the protection of civil liberties.
The demonstrations often reflect broader national movements but are rooted in local issues impacting LA communities. Some protesters are longtime residents affected by housing and policing policies, while others are part of youth-led groups pushing for systemic change.
Their message is clear: they want their voices heard, their rights protected, and their communities respected.
Estrellazul Corral Protests ICE Raids, Clashes with National Guard in Los Angeles
Estrellazul Corral spent the entire weekend protesting outside the Los Angeles Metropolitan Detention Center, demanding justice for dozens of migrants who were detained by heavily armed ICE agents in armored vehicles.
Corral, a social worker who advocates for Los Angeles’ unhoused and undocumented populations, said the peaceful demonstrations took a dark turn when federal troops moved in.
“They threw tear gas at us even though we were complying with their orders,” Corral recounted. “That’s when people started to get angry, and things began to escalate.”
As night fell on Sunday, CNN correspondents on the scene captured the moment the peaceful protest spiraled into chaos. Some demonstrators set fire to self-driving vehicles. Others hurled rocks at police officers taking cover under a freeway overpass after protesters had blocked traffic. Graffiti condemning law enforcement was scrawled across a federal building in downtown LA. The Los Angeles Police Department reported that at least 21 people were arrested that evening.
The raids reflect the Trump administration’s strict stance on illegal immigration. However, President Trump’s unprecedented move to federalize and deploy the National Guard against American citizens — a power not exercised since 1992 during the Rodney King unrest — provoked a swift and intense backlash, igniting tensions that ultimately turned violent.
Protesters appeared to fall into two broad camps: those peacefully advocating for immigrant rights and those bent on confrontation and upheaval.
Defending ‘La Raza’
Unión del Barrio, a grassroots organization focused on defending the rights of Mexican and Indigenous people in the U.S., voiced its support for the protesters confronting ICE and federal forces.
The weekend’s protests underscored deep divisions in the city — not just about immigration policy, but also about the government’s growing use of military force to manage civil dissent.
Officials, Activists Respond to Escalating Unrest Over Immigration Raids in Los Angeles
“What we’ve seen in recent days were not crimes or senseless vandalism,” a spokesperson for Unión del Barrio stated. “These were acts of resistance — born out of desperation and love — against a government that is tearing our families apart. People took to the streets because they couldn’t stand by while their fathers, mothers, spouses, and children were being taken away.”
While many in the community saw the demonstrations as a form of moral protest, city officials described a much different reality on Sunday night. One county official called it “probably one of the most volatile nights” in Los Angeles in recent memory.
Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell condemned the violent attacks on law enforcement but acknowledged a difference between peaceful demonstrators and those who turned to destruction after dark.
“When I see the individuals resorting to violence at night, it’s clear to me they’re not the same people we see during the day,” McDonnell said. “Those who join daytime protests are legitimately exercising their First Amendment rights, speaking out about immigration enforcement and defending their communities. What we saw at night was something entirely different.”
Their assessments suggest that the majority of protesters were deeply motivated by recent ICE raids and anger over President Trump’s decision to deploy National Guard troops in the city.
However, the source also noted that among the crowd were individuals who matched law enforcement profiles of so-called “professional rioters”.
Impact on Immigrant Communities
The toll the raids and the subsequent violence have taken on immigrant neighborhoods is significant.
“The response in Pasadena was overwhelming,” Alvarado said. “Hundreds came out to send a clear message — we don’t want to see armored vehicles and masked agents invading our neighborhoods and tearing families apart.”
The protests and the response from authorities have laid bare the growing divide in Los Angeles: between those demanding protection for immigrant families and a federal government doubling down on aggressive enforcement. As tensions continue to mount, both sides brace for what comes next in a city still reeling from days of confrontation.
Calls for Justice Amid Chaos: Community Leaders, Families Speak Out After ICE Raids Spark Unrest in Los Angeles
While the outcry over immigration raids in Los Angeles has brought together thousands in protest, not everyone agrees with the turn some demonstrations have taken. Pablo Alvarado, co-executive director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, voiced concern that the outbreak of violence has clouded the movement’s message.
“Every time violence erupts, it’s our most vulnerable communities who suffer the consequences,” Alvarado said. “When riots break out, it’s the small businesses in low-income neighborhoods that go up in flames.”
He acknowledged the raw anger fueling the protests. “It’s understandable. People are seeing armored vehicles and heavily armed ICE agents rolling into their neighborhoods — that’s terrifying,” he said. But even so, Alvarado emphasized that violence should never be the answer. “We can send a powerful message without resorting to destruction or harm.”
Families Speak Out
Just blocks away from the burned-out shells of self-driving cars and walls covered in graffiti, families directly affected by the weekend’s immigration raids held a press conference on Monday morning. Standing shoulder to shoulder, they held signs bearing the photos of their loved ones, calling for their immediate release and for their legal rights to be upheld.
Julian, a young woman at the event, fought back tears as she recounted how her father was forcefully taken from their home by ICE agents. The traumatic experience, she said, has been especially devastating for her 4-year-old brother, who has a disability.
“He has trouble communicating,” she explained, “but ever since my father was taken, he hasn’t stopped asking for him. We told him ‘Daddy’s at work,’ because how do you tell a child he was kidnapped?”
Julian expressed deep disillusionment with the city’s self-declared sanctuary status. “Los Angeles says it’s a sanctuary city, but our experience shows otherwise,” she said.
Another young woman, Montserrat, described the horror of witnessing her father, George Arrazola, being detained during a raid in the city’s Fashion District.
“I was there,” she said. “I saw the tears, the panic, the families not knowing what to do — just like me.”
She called on the city to live up to its promises. “Regardless of where someone is from or how they arrived here, their life matters. What happened was unjust, and we’re demanding accountability.”
A Fight for Dignity
Estrellazul Corral, who had protested every day since the raids began, said she kept returning — even after being tear gassed and kettled by police — because she wanted to make sure those in custody knew they weren’t forgotten.
Her resolve was shaken, however, as she stood face to face with armed National Guard troops on Sunday evening.
“People were shouting, ‘Those are weapons of war!’” Corral recalled. “Weapons meant for battlefields, not city streets.”
Even in the face of overwhelming force, she and others refused to back down. “We stood our ground,” she said. “We weren’t going to let them scare us into silence.”
For activists like Corral and Alvarado, and for the families torn apart by ICE actions, the message remains urgent and deeply personal: the fight is about love, justice, and dignity — not violence.
As Los Angeles reels from days of protest and unrest, the voices rising from the streets continue to demand not only justice for those detained, but a reaffirmation of the values the city claims to uphold.