Thousands of protesters rallied in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday against President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration and his aggressive deportation policies.
Draped in Mexican and Salvadoran flags, demonstrators gathered near City Hall shortly before noon, blocking traffic at Spring and Temple streets, amid honking horns and solidarity messages from passing motorists. Protesters blasted a mix of traditional and contemporary Mexican music from a loudspeaker, and some danced in the street in traditional feathered headdresses.
Trump has declared a crisis at the southern border and released a flurry of executive orders aimed at revamping the country’s immigration system and promising to deport millions of undocumented people. Protesters told The Times that it was those actions that prompted them to rally downtown
By 1 p.m., the number of protesters ballooned to several thousand, with some carrying signs that said, “MAGA — Mexicans always get across”; “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you,” referring to the state’s agricultural workers; and “I drink my horchata warm because f— I.C.E,” a reference to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
Protesters rally at Alameda and the 101 Freeway to protest against President Trump’s deportation policies on Sunday in downtown Los Angeles. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Nailah Esparza, 18, said that it was her first protest and that she learned about it about a week ago from TikTok videos. She held a sign in Spanish that read, “ No more I.C.E. raids, no more fear, we want justice and a better world.”
“It was actually something that was very important, so we decided to show support, because of the youth,” said Esparza, who is Mexican American. “We’re very passionate about what we’re here for.”
Another protester, who identified himself only as Rey out of privacy concerns, brought a sign that read, “Trump eat caca. Beware the Nazis.” He said he protested Trump’s immigration policies during his first term as president.
“We thought we were done with his administration,” said Rey, who is Mexican American. “And now we have to do this again.”
The demonstration was mostly peaceful, with some enterprising street vendors taking advantage of the moment to sell bacon-wrapped hot dogs, ice cream, churros, beer and even shots of Patron tequila to the crowd.
But things appeared to ratchet up when the driver of a silver Mustang began doing doughnuts in a usually busy intersection near City Hall. Soon after, police arrived as dozens of protesters walked onto the nearby 101 Freeway, while hundreds more crowded overpasses, waving flags and holding signs.
A short time later, the acrid smell of burning tires hung in the air as trucks and motorcycles did noisy burnouts on a 101 Freeway overpass, drawing cheers and cameras amid the noisy din of car horns, police sirens and helicopters overhead.
Promising the largest deportation effort in U.S. history, Trump, in his first days in office, declared a national emergency at the southern border, deploying troops there.
His executive orders sharply limit legal pathways for entering the U.S., bolster enforcement efforts to seal off the U.S.-Mexico border, and promote aggressive sweeps to round up and deport people living in the United States illegally. Some of the orders have been challenged in court, and advocates said others could be soon.
There are an estimated 11 million to 15 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., including more than 2 million in California.
They include people who crossed the border illegally, people who overstayed their visas and people who have requested asylum. It does not include people who entered the country under various temporary humanitarian programs, or who have obtained temporary protected status, which gives people the right to live and work in the U.S. temporarily because of disasters or strife in their home countries.
Times staff reporters Jessica Garrison and Rebecca Plevin contributed to this report.
