LOS ANGELES —A city built by immigrants is now at the centre of a storm over deportation, as US federal raids ignite street protests and deepen the country’s divide on immigration.
Over the weekend, anger exploded in Los Angeles after a week of sweeping arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Protesters clashed with police. Tear gas drifted through the streets. A car burned in Compton. In nearby Paramount, ICE agents were met with jeers and resistance.
The raids are part of President Donald Trump’s hardline push to ramp up deportations a policy cornerstone of his campaign and presidency. But in a diverse, heavily immigrant city like Los Angeles, the crackdown has fuelled tension and fear.
“This is my people. I’m fighting for us,” said Maria Gutierrez, a Mexican-American demonstrator who joined two days of protests in Paramount. “We’re not criminals. We work, we raise kids, we love this country.”
The White House insists the arrests are necessary. According to Homeland Security, those detained included people convicted of serious crimes, from burglary to drug offences. But many others, according to local activists, were peaceful residents with no violent history.
A Show of Force
On Friday, Trump deployed 700 Marines and 4,000 National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area. Officially, they’re there to support law enforcement. Critics say it’s theatre meant to project strength ahead of a tough election.
California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, called the move “a deranged fantasy of a dictatorial president.”
The deployment comes as the White House grows impatient with the pace of deportations. ICE arrested 2,200 people in a single day on 4 June a record, according to news sources. The agency aims to increase that to 3,000 daily arrests, more than four times the rate from the early days of Trump’s presidency.
“President Trump is going to keep pushing to get that number up,” said Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff and chief architect of immigration policy, in a recent Fox News interview.
But even some Trump allies are uneasy.
“This is not what we voted for,” said Florida State Senator Ileana Garcia, co-founder of Latinas for Trump. “Deporting criminals is one thing. But what we’re seeing is a campaign to round up people who are following the rules attending court, waiting for asylum decisions. That’s not justice. That’s fear.”
Local Backlash, National Consequences
In Los Angeles, city officials have condemned the raids. City Council member Ysabel Jurado said a Friday operation in the Fashion District was “not about public safety, it was fear-driven state violence designed to silence and disappear.”
The city identifies as a sanctuary meaning it limits co-operation with federal immigration enforcement. But federal agents, with the backing of Trump’s executive orders, have stepped up raids even in states that refuse to assist.
Legal scholars say the strategy is calculated.
“California was always going to resist,” said John Acevedo, a constitutional law expert at Emory University. “For Trump, that resistance is useful. It gives him a foil. It turns local defiance into a national spectacle and shows his base that he’s willing to fight back.”
A Changing ICE
Behind the scenes, ICE has gone through quiet upheaval. Several senior officials have resigned or been reassigned. Critics see the reshuffle as part of a broader shift in priorities from criminal enforcement to mass arrests.
The White House stopped publishing daily deportation data years ago. But border officials have said they’re under pressure to deliver results fast.
“I’m not satisfied with the numbers,” said Tom Homan, Trump’s top immigration advisor, in May. “We’ve expanded the teams. Now we expect results.”
The Human Cost
For many in Los Angeles, the debate isn’t about numbers it’s about lives.
“I’ve lived here 17 years,” said one man who declined to give his name, fearing arrest. “My children are citizens. My wife is a nurse. Why do they want to send me away?”
In the protests, that question echoed across chants and homemade signs. Some marched for friends already detained. Others marched out of fear that they might be next.
As the streets calm and legal challenges mount, one thing is clear: the battle over immigration in America is not just about policy. It’s personal. And in places like Los Angeles, it’s unfolding with a fury that shows no sign of easing.
