Metallic noises are coming from a huge bunker in the heart of Los Angeles, California. Inside are dozens of undocumented immigrants who have been arrested in the immigration raids carried out by the Donald Trump administration in recent weeks in workplaces, courthouses, and on the streets of the metropolis. The inmates are banging on the walls and bars of their cells with objects, showing their solidarity with the crowd that has been gathering for three days at the foot of the building to protest the president's immigration policy.
The federal detention center has been guarded since early Sunday morning by dozens of National Guard soldiers, a military force mobilized the day before by Donald Trump. This is despite the fact that California authorities did not request the presence of the 2,000 members of that security force in one of the cities with the largest immigration burden in the United States. Local politicians considered the military arrival a provocation from Washington. The state's governor, Democrat Gavin Newsom, asked Trump's Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, to withdraw his agents on Sunday afternoon, but to no avail.
Hundreds of citizens arrived at City Hall on Sunday afternoon to also protest the military presence."ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) out of our communities" and "If they come for one, they'll come for all" were some of the slogans on the banners displayed among the flags of the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
This Sunday's demonstration was the largest in the three days of social protests in Los Angeles."We took to the streets because our parents have lived their entire lives in the shadows," says Diego, a 30-year-old American born in Montebello, a city east of Los Angeles with a 78% Latino population. This kitchen worker's parents are originally from El Salvador and Guatemala. He was born here and wants to exercise his rights. He couldn't do so on Friday or Saturday because he had to work a ten-hour shift at the restaurant where he works."We have to say it loud and clear: Not all of us who live here are illegal immigrants or criminals," he adds.
The focus was on the National Guard. Their troops formed an unbreakable perimeter around the detention center, along with tactical elements from the Department of Homeland Security police. The guards were armed with shields, wooden clubs, and non-lethal shotguns, as well as firearms. Their role throughout the day was as witnesses.
The tense moments were led by the Los Angeles Police Department."I hereby declare this assembly unlawful, all persons must disperse immediately, otherwise you will be arrested," a police officer threatened in Spanish from a patrol car. Riot police fired rubber bullets at the protesters, who responded by throwing firecrackers, rocks, and water bottles at the officers. Some vandals defaced and burned Waymo robotaxis (self-driving electric vehicles). Authorities arrested 27 people throughout the day on Sunday.
A girl wearing a Mexican national soccer team jersey charged at officers on her motorcycle. They opened fire on her with non-lethal weapons. She was one of the detainees left behind on the third day of protests. “When we were working class, they loved us in this country, but now that there are so many of us, it's a problem, and that's why they persecute us. They just don't want us here anymore,” said the girl, whose father is Mexican and her mother is Puerto Rican, and who was handcuffed when she spoke to reporters.
These are not the first demonstrations to take place in Los Angeles. The city was one of the first in the entire country to take to the streets when Donald Trump and his anti-immigration agenda returned to the White House in January. Since the beginning of February, just 10 days after the start of the Republican's second presidency, dozens of people have marched with the Mexican flag through the same streets where thousands of people marched this Sunday. The foreign flag has provoked anger among activists in the MAGA movement (Make America Great Again, the slogan of Trumpism)."Since they love Mexico so much, we will happily bring them back," Charlie Kirk, an influential Trump supporter, said on X.
Los Angeles is the second-largest city in the world with the most Mexicans, behind only Mexico City. Mexican authorities have demanded respect for the rights of detained Mexicans.
Things have changed since February. Four months later, ICE agents have already greased the deportation machine. They've set a goal of detaining 3,000 undocumented immigrants per day. And they're close to achieving it. Last week, it was 2,000, according to Homeland Security. The raids have heightened tensions, and the Trump administration has promised to punish with exemplary severity those who hinder operations or insult or hit immigration officers. Tom Homan, the so-called border czar, has even threatened to arrest the mayor of Los Angeles, Democrat Karen Bass, for her refusal to join the immigrant hunt.
On Saturday, there were clashes between authorities and protesters in the city of Paramount, south of Los Angeles. These clashes later spread to Compton, another city in the metropolitan area, where a vehicle was set on fire and Mexican flags were seen. Downtown Los Angeles was also the scene of popular demonstrations on Friday. Authorities have called for calm and peaceful protests to avoid giving Trump a reason to escalate the situation. The defense minister has threatened to send soldiers stationed at Camp Pendleton, near San Diego, into the streets of Los Angeles.
Most of the protests, however, have passed peacefully. Just a few meters from where explosions were heard and several robotaxis were burning, a group of Belgian tourists were visiting the birthplace of Los Angeles. The Europeans were taking photographs at the site known as"El Pueblito," the place where the first Mexican families settled and where today stands a statue of Charles III, the Spanish king who ordered the settlement where the monstrous metropolis now stands."We were there in the middle of all the chaos, it was exciting!" said Patrick, hurrying to catch up with the rest of the group.
