Protesters confront police on the 101 Freeway near the Metropolitan Detention Center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night’s immigration raid protest. Credit – Jae C. Hong—AP
A standoff between law enforcement and protesters in Los Angeles opposing the Trump Administration’s immigration policies escalated over the weekend, prompting President Donald Trump to deploy more than 2,000 National Guardsmen to the city.
Demonstrators shut down the 101 freeway on Friday to protest coordinated federal immigration raids that swept across the greater Los Angeles area. At least 44 people were “administratively arrested” during a single operation that day, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesperson told CBS News.
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that his state plans to file a lawsuit early Monday against the president.
The raids sparked a three-day mobilization against Trump, who said the city had been “invaded and occupied by illegal aliens and criminals.” On the campaign trail, he has vowed to launch the “largest deportation in American history.” Recent media reports suggest ICE has been ordered to arrest at least 3,000 people per day.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), local businesses were looted and vandalized during the unrest, while some demonstrators threw eggs and used incendiary devices against officers.
Though the LAPD initially described Saturday’s protests as “peaceful,” the situation escalated by Sunday evening. Police declared an unlawful assembly and dispersed crowds with tear gas and rubber bullets. “Demonstrators have marched to the LA Live area and are blocking all lanes of traffic on Figueroa and 11th St,” the department said in a post on X. “You are to leave the area immediately.”
The police department did not facilitate any arrests, but spoke about immigration authorities’ right to conduct the raids. “Federal authorities have the right to be able to do what they’re doing,” said LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell. “We don’t engage in that activity.”
Some key moments from the protests are captured in the images below.
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