This Is What Democracy Looks Like?: 19 Unforgettable Photos From LA Protests Against ICE

Source: Spencer Platt / Getty

As demonstrators in Los Angeles took to the streets to protest ICE agents raiding their neighborhoods and communities, they were met with tear gas, shields, and the full weight of state power. Orders that bypassed Gov. Gavin Newsom and came straight from President Donald Trump.

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Trump initially directed 2,000 National Guard troops to quell the LA protests, which only angered protesters even more, escalating the violence after a Friday of fairly civil disobedience. Once tensions reached a boiling point, protesters flooded downtown in response to Trump’s deployment of the National Guard, blocking off a major freeway as law enforcement tried to control the crowd with tear gas and rubber bullets.

The last time the National Guard was deployed without the governor’s permission was in 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson sent troops to protect a civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.

According to AP, by Saturday, Guard troops were deployed to protect federal facilities, including a detention center where some immigrants were taken in recent days. After police declared an unlawful assembly, most protesters had left—the ones who remained continued to clash with law enforcement, which only escalated the situation even further.

On Sunday, protesters continued to show their disgust with Trump’s immigration crackdown as more federal troops made their way into Los Angeles to clash with demonstrators.

MORE: Dear Black Folks: The Protests Against ICE Are Absolutely Our Fight Too [Op-Ed]

Gov. Gavin Newsom called Trump’s deployment “disrespectful to our troops” and said the president was being reckless.

“This isn’t about public safety,” Newsom said on X. “It’s about stroking a dangerous President’s ego.”

But Trump ignored Newsom’s pleas to rescind the Guard troops and instead doubled down on Monday by ordering another 2,000 National Guard and 700 Marines to Los Angeles.

Mayor Karen Bass also denounced Trump’s move, calling it a “deliberate attempt” by the Trump administration to “create disorder and chaos in our city.”

She also pleaded with the federal government to “Stop the raids.”

Protesters demanded dignity and respect for their community. The state responded with riot gear. Here are 19 unforgettable photos from the LA protests against ICE.

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