&w=3840&q=100)
What triggered the Los Angeles immigration protests? A rumour
Los Angeles is in turmoil right now. People are on the streets, cars are on fire, and the National Guard has been deployed. Democratic representatives, including California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, have taken US President Donald Trump to task over his actions to deploy the troops, claiming that he has violated state sovereignty. But how did the protests start? read more
Protesters attempt to light a Molotov cocktail as a firework explodes during a protest in Compton, California on Saturday. AP
Los Angeles is in turmoil right now.
People are on the streets, cars are on fire and the National Guard has been deployed.
Democratic representatives including California Governor Gavin Newsom and Las Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have taken US President Donald Trump to task over his actions to deploy the National Guard, claiming that he has violated state sovereignty.
But what happened at the hardware store at the centre of the protests?
Let's take a closer look
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
What happened?
It all began around 9 am on Saturday in the working-class Latino suburb of Paramount. Border agents were reportedly seen across the street from the Home Depot store.
This came a day after federal agents arrested immigrants in the parking lot of a hardware store in Los Angeles as well as several other locations.
Soon, videos of agents purportedly near the store went viral. Firstpost has not independently verified the veracity of these videos.
There were also reports of raids being conducted at the Home Depot – where illegal immigrants often congregate to find work – and of arrests being made.
However, the border agents weren't actually at the store – instead, they had gathered inside a gated industrial office park.
Soon, the site became a magnet for protesters. People driving by honked their horns In protest. The Home Depot quickly closed for the day.
As per Los Angeles Times, José Luis Solache Jr of the California State Assembly was on his way to an event when he spotted border patrol vehicles.
Los Angeles County Sheriffs stand during a protest in Compton, Calif., Saturday, June 7, 2025, after federal immigration authorities conducted operations. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Solache, whose parents immigrated to the US from Guanajuato, Mexico, followed the caravan to the Paramount Business Center – which is right across the street from the Home Depot.
'I saw a border agent get off the freeway here off of Alondra. I was like, No, it can't be happening,' Solache said on Instagram.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
'This is horrible,' he added. 'I am literally shaking.'
'I don't know what they're doing inside. But, I mean, why were they in Paramount?' he asked.
'This is the situation,' Solache told his followers. 'The community is coming out strong to show that they are not welcome in our community. 'No en mi distrito. Not in my district. Vámonos pa' fuera (let's go, get out of here).'
Meanwhile protesters and authorities faced off.
Demonstrators began throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails, while the border agents employed flash-bang grenades, rubber bullets and pepper spray against the crowd.
'What the hell are you doing?! Nobody's hurting you, nobody's doing anything but making noise, are you intimidated by f— noise?!' one protestor was heard yelling at the agents, as per Los Angeles Times.
The protest was declared an unlawful assembly around 4 pm – crowds were ordered to disperse in both English and Spanish.
However, the clashes continued late into the night with multiple fires being set and at least one car being torched.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
The protesters began dispersing only around midnight.
Meanwhile US President Donald Trump called in the National Guard.
Trump invoked a legal provision allowing him to deploy federal service members when there is 'a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.'
In doing so Trump usurped the authority of Newsom – who as California governor is technically in charge of the National Guard.
Authorities claim to have made multiple arrests.
'Multiple arrests have already been made for obstructing our operations,' FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino wrote on X. 'More are coming. We are pouring through the videos for more perpetrators. You bring chaos, and we'll bring handcuffs.'
A car burns during a protest in Compton, California on Saturday. AP
The rumours continue to do the rounds in Los Angeles.
'No-one really knows what happened. Everyone is afraid,' Juan, who was in the parking lot of the Home Depot, told the BBC.
Los Angeles resident Dora Sanchez called the development a 'breaking point' for the entire community.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Maria Gutierrez, who was part of the protests, added, 'It was time to stand up. These are my people. This is LA. It touches us all. Everyone has family or knows someone who doesn't have papers.'
Raid or no raid?
Interestingly, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has dismissed the reports of a raid on the Home Depot store on Saturday as misinformation.
'Despite false reports, there was no ICE 'raid' at a Home Depot in LA,' the DHS told the BBC.
The DHS added that authorities were using the location 'as a staging area and rioters found it'.
They claim to have arrested 118 illegal immigrants in the Los Angeles this week, including five suspected gang members.
Fox News reporter Bill Melugin of Fox News cited federal sources as saying that, contrary to local claims, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had not conducted raids on the Home Depot.
'Per federal sources, despite local claims, there was no ICE 'raid' at a Home Depot in LA today. DHS has a nearby office in Paramount that they are using as a staging area. Protesters found it and began gathering. ICE will conduct targeted enforcement around LA today, serving criminal judicial warrants and enforcing final orders of removal/deportation orders,' Melugin wrote on X.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Meanwhile, Newsom has urged Trump to remove the National Guard from Los Angeles.
A person carries an injured protester to cover during a protest in Compton, California. AP
Newsom in a letter to Trump called the development a 'serious breach of state sovereignty.'
Newsom has has received support from Mayor Karen Bass.
'What we're seeing in Los Angeles is chaos that is provoked by the administration,' she said in an afternoon press conference. 'This is about another agenda, this isn't about public safety,' Bass said.
However, the White House seems to be undeterred.
Trump on Sunday said he had deployed 2,000 National Guard members to Los Angeles.
He said there were 'violent people' in Los Angeles 'and they're not gonna get away with it.'
'We're gonna have troops everywhere. We're not going to let this happen to our country. We're not going to let our country be torn apart like it was under Biden,' Trump added.
'It's a bald-faced lie for Newsom to claim there was no problem in Los Angeles before President Trump got involved,' White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Ex-Vice-President Kamala Harris, a resident of Los Angeles, said the immigration arrests and Guard deployment were designed as part of a 'cruel, calculated agenda to spread panic and division.'
She said she supports those 'standing up to protect our most fundamental rights and freedoms.'
With inputs from agencies
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
LA protests: More than 20 people detained after first night of curfew
Police detained more than 20 people, mostly on curfew violations, on the first night of restrictions in downtown Los Angeles and used crowd-control projectiles to break up hundreds of protesters demonstrating against President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, officials said Wednesday. But there were fewer clashes between police and demonstrators than on previous nights, and by daybreak, the downtown streets were bustling with residents walking dogs and commuters clutching coffee cups. Officials said the curfew was necessary to stop vandalism and theft by agitators after five days of protests, which have mostly been concentrated downtown. Demonstrations have also spread to other cities nationwide, including Dallas and Austin in Texas, and Chicago and New York, where thousands rallied and more arrests were made. Also Read: Los Angeles protests spiral as protesters torch cars, block major freeway | Pics LA's nightly curfew, which the mayor said would remain in effect as long as necessary, covers a 1-square-mile (2.5-square-kilometer) section that includes an area where protests have occurred since Friday in the sprawling city of 4 million. The city of Los Angeles encompasses roughly 500 square miles (1,295 square kilometers). "If there are raids that continue, if there are soldiers marching up and down our streets, I would imagine that the curfew will continue,' Mayor Karen Bass said. Also Read: Los Angeles curfew map and time: Check if you're affected by curfew amid protests The tensions in LA and elsewhere emerged as immigration authorities seek to dramatically increase the number of daily arrests across the country. Bass said the raids spread fear across the city at the behest of the White House. 'We started off by hearing the administration wanted to go after violent felons, gang members, drug dealers,' she told a news conference. 'But when you raid Home Depots and workplaces, when you tear parents and children apart, and when you run armored caravans through our streets, you're not trying to keep anyone safe. You're trying to cause fear and panic.' Referring to the protests, she added: 'If you drive a few blocks outside of downtown, you don't know that anything is happening in the city at all.' Some 2,000 National Guard soldiers are in the city, and about half of them have been protecting federal buildings and agents, said Army Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, head of Task Force 51, which is overseeing the deployment of National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles. About 700 Marines will soon join the Guard troops, but they are still undergoing training and will not be mobilized Wednesday, Sherman said. Another 2,000 Guard troops should be on the streets by Thursday, he said. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has accused Trump of drawing a 'military dragnet' across the nation's second-largest city with his escalating use of the National Guard, which Trump activated, along with the Marines, over the objections of city and state leaders. Newsom asked a court to put an emergency stop to the military helping federal immigration agents. The assistance includes some guardsmen now standing protectively around agents as they carry out arrests. A judge set a hearing for Thursday, giving the administration several days to continue its activities. The change moves the military closer to engaging in law enforcement actions such as deportations, as Trump has promised as part of his immigration crackdown. The Guard has the authority to temporarily detain people who attack officers, but any arrests would be made by law enforcement. The president posted on the Truth Social platform that the city 'would be burning to the ground' if he had not sent in the military. Meanwhile in New York City, police said they took 86 people into custody during protests in lower Manhattan that lasted into Wednesday morning. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the vast majority of demonstrators were peaceful. A 66-year-old woman in Chicago was injured when she was struck by a car during downtown protests Tuesday evening, police said. Video showed a car speeding down a street where people were protesting. In Texas, where police in Austin used chemical irritants to disperse several hundred demonstrators Monday, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's office said Texas National Guard troops were 'on standby" in areas where demonstrations are planned. Guard members were sent to San Antonio, but Police Chief William McManus said he had not been told how many troops were deployed or their role ahead of planned protests Wednesday night and Saturday. Two people accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at police during the LA protests over the weekend face charges that could bring up to 10 years in prison, the Justice Department announced Wednesday. No one was injured by the devices. One of the suspects is a U.S. citizen, and the other overstayed a tourist visa and was in the U.S. illegally, authorities said. 'We are looking at hundreds of people,' U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said. 'If you took part in these riots and were looking to cause trouble, we will come looking for you.' Trump has called the protesters 'animals' and 'a foreign enemy' and described Los Angeles in dire terms that the governor says is nowhere close to the truth. Newsom called Trump's actions the start of an 'assault' on democracy. 'California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next,' he said. The protests began Friday after federal immigration raids arrested dozens of workers in Los Angeles. Protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire over the weekend, and police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. Thousands of people have peacefully rallied outside City Hall and hundreds more protested outside a federal complex that includes a detention center where some immigrants are being held following workplace raids. Despite the protests, immigration enforcement activity has continued throughout the county, with city leaders and community groups reporting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement present at libraries, car washes and Home Depots. School graduations in Los Angeles have increased security over fears of ICE action, and some have offered parents the option to watch on Zoom. Los Angeles police detained 200 people related to the protests throughout the day on Tuesday, including 67 who were occupying a freeway, according to the city's chief. The majority of arrests since the protests began have been for failing to disperse, while a few others were for assault with a deadly weapon, looting and vandalism. At least seven police officers have been injured.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Immigration protests: Trump won't allow 'mob rule in America,' says White House; vows to uphold ‘sacred responsibility' of law & order
President Donald Trump "will never allow mob rule to prevail in America," the White House said on Wednesday, as protests against his immigration policies intensified across the country despite a military-backed crackdown in Los Angeles. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt made the statement at a briefing where images of burning vehicles and masked rioters were shown on screen. 'The most basic duty of government is to preserve law and order, and this administration embraces that sacred responsibility,' she added. The unrest follows a wave of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in Los Angeles last week aimed at enforcing Trump's hardline immigration agenda. While many of the demonstrations have been peaceful, incidents of violence such as the torching of self-driving taxis and stone-pelting at police have prompted authorities to respond with tear gas and other non-lethal weapons. Trump has called the protesters 'animals' and 'paid insurrectionists,' accusing them of using professional anti-riot gear. 'It's a good question the president is raising, and one we are looking into, about who is funding these insurrectionists,' Leavitt told AFP. The president reiterated his hardline stance in a speech Tuesday at Fort Bragg military base, saying he would 'liberate' Los Angeles, a comment that deepened tensions with California's Democratic leadership. Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have criticised Trump's deployment of troops as politically motivated and 'dictatorial.' In response, Leavitt accused both of dereliction of duty: 'Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass shamefully failed to meet their sworn obligations to their citizens,' she said, further alleging that Newsom had 'fanned the flames and demonized our brave ICE officers. '
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Fulbright Scholarship Board resigns over political interference, Trump administration wants to cancel 200 grants
Entire Fulbright Scholarship Board comprising 12 persons resigned citing interference by the Donald Trump administration. The entire board, which is responsible for approving the Fulbright Scholarship, resigned Wednesday, citing interference from the Donald Trump administration, as the administration wanted to cancel the awarding of Fulbright scholarships to almost 200 American professors and researchers who are prepared to go to universities overseas, the NYT reported. These are scholarships that the board already approved over the winter after a yearlong selection process. These were sent to the State Department as the department was supposed to send acceptance letters. But the department started sending rejection letters to these scholars. What is the Fulbright program? The Fulbright program was established in 1946 after legislation introduced by J. William Fulbright, a Democratic senator from Arkansas. The Fulbright-Hays Act of 1961 formalized legal statutes for the program. It says the selection of scholars, teachers and others falls under the authority of a 12-member board appointed by the president. The nearly 200 scholars who are receiving rejection letters are part of a group of about 900 American scholars approved by the board over the winter. All 12 people on the board who were appointed by the Biden administration quit citing usurpation of the authority of the Board. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Tired of High Power Bills? Plug in This Device elecTrick - Save upto 80% on Power Bill Learn More Undo "The administration is also currently subjecting an additional 1,200 foreign Fulbright recipients to an unauthorized review process and could reject more. We believe these actions not only contradict the statute but are antithetical to the Fulbright mission and the values, including free speech and academic freedom, that Congress specified in the statute," the board said in a statement. "Through generations of war and peace, the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Program has been a bipartisan pillar of American diplomacy—an enduring symbol of our nation's commitment to mutual understanding and diplomacy, academic excellence, and international cooperation. It has promoted US interests and global stability. Fulbright alumni have gone on to become leaders of government, industry, academia, arts, and culture in every part of the world," the statement noted.
