A shirtless man waving a Mexican flag stood atop a burning car in the heart of Los Angeles, while another threw a traffic cone into the flames, and others beat drums and chanted slogans against immigration officials.
In the background, the city hall was barely visible through thick black smoke. Downtown Los Angeles, one of America’s largest cities, descended into chaos and lawlessness as protests initially peaceful turned violent.
The 101 Freeway, a major artery through downtown, was shut down for most of the day as police clashed with demonstrators. Authorities deployed flashbangs to disperse the crowd.
Bottles and other projectiles were hurled at police, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.
Sky News reported that critics blame this escalation on Donald Trump, who ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to be deployed in Los Angeles without consulting California’s governor or the city’s mayor—marking an extraordinary move by the former president.
The military arrived Sunday morning and was tasked with protecting federal buildings, following two days of protests against ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). The raids—part of Trump’s strict border enforcement policy—aim to locate, detain, and deport as many undocumented immigrants as possible. These actions sparked protests on Friday, which escalated over the weekend.
By midday Sunday, National Guard troops were stationed around the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown L.A., where migrants are held before being transferred to detention centers, according to Euronews Albania.
The walls and floors of the building were covered in graffiti with messages like “F*** ICE.” The LAPD created a buffer zone between the Guard and protestors to prevent major confrontations.
California Governor Gavin Newsom harshly criticized Trump’s actions, calling them those of a “dictator, not a president,” and demanded the administration withdraw the National Guard from the city. The White House announced the troops would remain until order is restored, with 500 Marines still on standby.
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell stated the situation had spiraled out of control, noting that although police initially did not request assistance, the unrest made Guard intervention necessary.
Sky News also reported on a young woman named Gabriella who attempted to ride her motorcycle through a police line. An officer pushed her back as she claimed she was protesting because “her people were being rounded up.”
Politicians from both parties condemned the violence, but disagreed on how the situation was handled and what caused the unrest.
The protests began as a response to ICE raids targeting undocumented immigrants as part of Trump’s hardline immigration policy.
