Los Angeles, the city of immigrants with over 900,000 undocumented immigrants

Los Angeles, home to one of the largest immigrant populations in the U.S., has been rocked by massive protests following a federal immigration crackdown that saw over 40 arrests last week. Protesters shut down a major freeway and torched self-driving cars as police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.

The anger stems from the city’s deep immigrant roots. With nearly 900,000 undocumented immigrants (as per a 2020 study by University of Southern California Dornsife), many of whom have lived in the U.S. for over a decade, L.A. is uniquely vulnerable to immigration enforcement. About a third of Los Angeles County’s 10 million residents are foreign-born, and nearly one in five live in mixed-status households—where at least one family member is undocumented.

Los Angeles isn’t just a city—it’s a region of more than 4,000 square miles encompassing communities like Hollywood, Santa Monica, and Long Beach. Over half of its residents speak a language other than English at home, and more than 1.8 million identify as Hispanic or Latino.


With nearly half of the county’s workforce made up of immigrants, and about 60% of children having at least one immigrant parent, Trump’s immigration policies are being felt directly and deeply. In a city this diverse—where identity, livelihood, and family structures are tightly interwoven with immigration—federal crackdowns don’t just trigger opposition; they ignite mass resistance.

FAQs

How did the protests start?
The protests began Friday when federal agents raided Los Angeles’ garment district, targeting undocumented workers as part of the Trump administration’s renewed focus on workplace immigration enforcement. Protesters responded with chants and egg-throwing, prompting law enforcement to disperse the crowd using pepper spray and nonlethal rounds.

Demonstrations continued into Saturday, spreading downtown and to the heavily Latino suburb of Paramount. Police arrested several people and used tear gas, flash-bang grenades, and other crowd-control tactics to contain the unrest.

What have officials said?
President Trump labeled the demonstrators “insurrectionists” on Monday, a term that may signal his intent to invoke the 1807 Insurrection Act, which would allow deployment of active-duty U.S. military to manage civil unrest.

California’s Democratic leaders strongly condemned the federal response. They criticized Trump’s use of the National Guard as excessive and politically motivated, while calling on protesters to stay peaceful.