LA situation 'not normal', says striker Ebobisse
Los Angeles FC striker Jeremy Ebobisse has voiced his support for a fan protest against US president Donald Trump's deportation policies.
The 28-year-old American said the situation in Los Angeles is "not normal and we can't treat it as normal".
Protests began in Los Angeles on Friday after it emerged that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were carrying out immigration raids in the city as part of Trump's aim to enact the "biggest deportation operation" in US history.
On Saturday, 2,000 National Guard troops were deployed to the city to uphold "very strong law and order" in response to the protests.
More than 100 immigrants have been arrested in operations across the city over the past week.
In his post-match interview, Ebobisse, who has one US cap, said: "This has been a difficult moment for the city of LA. I live downtown and I've been seeing and hearing everything that's going on. It breaks the heart to see the callous movements that we're seeing in our streets."
At Sunday's Major League Soccer match, LAFC independent supporters union 'the 3252' unfurled an "Abolish ICE" banner in the stands prior to kick-off and sat in silence throughout their side's 3-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City.
Elsewhere in the BMO Stadium, fans held handmade signs with slogans including "When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty" and "Immigrants make America".
Police order protesters to leave downtown Los Angeles as Trump says 'bring in the troops'
"We're a community, we stand by each other," Ebobisse added. "It's important that in these difficult moments, we reaffirm that and don't back into our corners and be scared because solidarity is the only way through this.
"It's not normal and we can't treat it as normal. I fear it's only going to continue to escalate. I'm with the 3252 and anyone who's affected."
Pasadena, a city located about 10 miles from downtown Los Angeles, is scheduled to host six matches at its Rose Bowl stadium during the upcoming Club World Cup, beginning with Paris St-Germain against Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
Los Angeles will also host matches during the 2026 World Cup, which is being held across the US, Canada and Mexico, before staging the 2028 Olympic Games.
LAFC defender Eddie Segura called for unity in the city, saying: "We are united and we are giving this victory to those who are suddenly having a hard time because of this situation."
A pre-match statement from LAFC, released on social media in English and Spanish, hailed the city's diversity: "LAFC believes that the true strength of our community comes from the people and cultures that make up the tapestry of this beautiful and diverse city.
"Today, when so many in our city are feeling fear and uncertainty, LAFC stands shoulder to shoulder with all members of our community. We are with you Los Angeles."
Listen to the latest Football Daily podcast
Get football news sent straight to your phone
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
L.A. immigration protests latest: California sues Trump admin. over National Guard deployment, president says he would support arresting Newsom
California is suing the Trump administration over its National Guard deployment in Los Angeles without the consent of the state's governor amid immigration protests that escalated over the weekend, leading to dozens of arrests. The Los Angeles Police Department has since declared all of downtown L.A. an unlawful assembly area. The lawsuit was filed Monday by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and accuses President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of "unlawfully" federalizing the state's National Guard, and infringing on California Gov. Gavin Newsom's authority as commander-in-chief of the state's military reserve force. "Every governor, red or blue, should reject this outrageous overreach," Bonta said. "It is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism. We will not let this stand.' Bonta also alleged in a televised statement Monday that protests escalated after National Guard troops arrived on Sunday. 'We'll never know what might have been had the president left our state and local authorities to continue the important work they were already doing and were more than capable of doing,' Bonta said. Before the lawsuit was announced, Trump on Monday said he would support his border czar arresting Newsom over possible obstructions to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions in the state amid protests. At least 44 people were arrested by federal ICE agents during a raid at several locations around Los Angeles on Friday, including Ambiance Apparel in the garment district and a Home Depot in the Westlake District. These areas are known to have significant migrant populations and labor-focused industries. Protests then erupted in Los Angeles in response to Trump's immigration crackdown that has seen federal agents arrest a student on his way to volleyball practice and erroneously deport a man to El Salvador. Sunday marked the third straight day of protests over the wave of immigration raids. Crowds gathered in downtown Los Angeles and Boyle Heights. Protesters marched from Boyle Heights to the Metropolitan Detention Center, a federal building in downtown L.A. This led to the LAPD declaring the area an unlawful assembly. Protesters moved from outside the federal building and walked onto the 101 Freeway around 3:30 p.m. local time. Police fired tear gas and other projectiles into the crowd and cleared the area by 5 p.m. Meanwhile, another protest started on Sunday outside of Los Angeles City Hall Protesters outside the city's prison in the Alameda neighborhood of L.A. were arrested, according to the LAPD. Around 300 National Guard troops arrived in Los Angeles County on Sunday after Trump deployed them to protect federal property and personnel, without the consent of Newsom, a Democrat with whom he often spars. As governor, Newsom would normally retain control and command over the California National Guard. The White House said the deployment was necessary to 'address the lawlessness' in the state, and initially stated that 2,000 troops were being deployed. About 500 Marines are also prepared to deploy to the area, the Northern Command said. It's the first time in nearly 60 years that a president has called in the National Guard without a state's request or consent. The last time was when President Lyndon Johnson sent the Guard to protect a 1965 civil rights march in Alabama. Newsom said California is suing the Trump administration over the federal mobilization of the National Guard. Newsom told MSNBC that Trump's federal mobilization of the National Guard was 'an illegal act, an immoral act, an unconstitutional act.' The governor also alleged that Trump is the one to blame for the escalation in California, saying, 'He's exacerbated the conditions. He's lit the proverbial match. He's putting fuel on this fire.' Tom Homan, Trump's border czar, told NBC News that anyone who obstructs immigration enforcement would be arrested. When asked if that would include Newsom or Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, he replied, 'I'll say it about anybody. … You cross that line, it's a felony to knowingly harbor and conceal an illegal alien. It's a felony to impede law enforcement doing their job.' Newsom responded to Homan's NBC interview on Sunday by saying: 'He knows where to find me.' Homan later clarified those remarks in an interview with Fox News. 'The reporter asked me, well, could Governor Newsom or Mayor Bass be arrested? I said, 'Well no one's above the law — if they cross the line and commit a crime, absolutely they can.'' He added: 'There was no discussion about arresting Newsom.' Meanwhile, Trump said he would support the arrest of Newsom. "I would do it if I were Tom. I think it's great. Gavin likes the publicity but I think it would be a great thing," Trump said Monday. In response, Newsom said: "This is a day I hoped I would never see in America." "I don't care if you're a Democrat or a Republican this is a line we cannot cross as a nation — this is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism," he wrote on X. The peaceful protests escalated into vandalism, autonomous cars set ablaze, fireworks and other objects thrown at law enforcement, police firing rubber bullets (including at an Australian journalist), and dozens of arrests by the LAPD. 'In recent days, many protests across the city have been peaceful and we thank the community for expressing their views and their frustration in a responsible manner,' LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said in a Sunday news conference. 'However, when peaceful demonstrations devolve into acts of vandalism or violence, especially violence directed at innocent people, law enforcement officers and others, we must respond firmly.' McDonnell said that a total of 39 people had been arrested — 29 on Saturday and 10 on Sunday. He also said the LAPD was not given advance notice that federal operations would occur in the area. On Sunday, several Waymo driverless vehicles were vandalized and set on fire in downtown Los Angeles. A Waymo spokesperson told USA Today Monday morning that its autonomous vehicles have been removed from the area and the company has temporarily suspended its ride-hailing service 'out of an abundance of caution.' Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told CNN on Monday that the situation has since calmed in the city. 'If you dial back time and go to Friday, if immigration raids had not happened here, we would not have had the disorder that went on last night,' Bass said. 'We do not know where and when the next raids will be. That is the concern because people in this city have a rapid response network.' 'If they see ICE, they go out and they protest, and so it's just a recipe for pandemonium that is completely unnecessary,' she added.
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
IAEA chief relays Iran warning against Israeli strikes on nuclear facilities
CAIRO (Reuters) -International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi said Iranians warned him that an Israel strike on the country's nuclear facilities could cause Iran to be more determined about developing a nuclear weapon, according to an interview broadcast and published on Monday. 'A strike could potentially have an amalgamating effect, solidifying Iran's determination – I will say it plainly – to pursue a nuclear weapon or withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,' Grossi said in the interview, published on the Jerusalem Post website and broadcast on i24 TV on Monday. Grossi, however, doubted that Israel would strike Tehran's nuclear facilities, the Jerusalem Post reported. The Iranian nuclear program "runs wide and deep," Grossi told the Jerusalem Post. "Disrupting them would require overwhelming and devastating force." Tehran and Washington have recently engaged in Oman-mediated nuclear talks. Iran is set to hand a counter-proposal for a nuclear deal to the United States via Oman, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday, in response to a U.S. offer that Tehran deems "unacceptable". Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump said he had warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to take actions that could disrupt nuclear talks with Iran. "I told him this would be inappropriate to do right now because we're very close to a solution now," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "That could change at any moment." Trump and Netanyahu are expected to speak over the phone on Monday.
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
FIGC advance proposal to Ranieri, Friedkins must decide
The Italian Federation is planning to advance an official proposal to Claudio Ranieri. The FIGC – led by Gabriele Gravina – have identified in Ranieri the right successor to Luciano Spalletti who will be dismissed after tonight's match against Moldova. Advertisement According to Tuttomercatoweb, the offer will arrive in the next hours with Ranieri receiving the proposal to lead Italy until July 2026, so until the next World Cup. The proposal will also involve an invitation to work for the FIGC as a director after the World Cup, but that will be discussed further on eventually. In the meantime, the FIGC would be content with Ranieri handling both the role of technical commissioner of the national team and advisor to Roma. The final decision is now up to the Friedkins who can still veto this offer.
