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NDTV
3 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
"900,000 Illegal Migrants": What Makes LA Hotbed For Immigrant Protests
Los Angeles: Why has Los Angeles, home to some of America's wealthiest and most powerful people, become the hotbed for US President Donald Trump's strictest immigration crackdown over the weekend? The answer lies in the city's ethnic, racial and demographic makeup. Los Angeles County, which spreads over 4,000 square miles of Southern California, includes the city of Los Angeles, along with posh Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Long Beach, Malibu, Pasadena, Santa Monica, among several other communities. It is home to nearly 10 million people-- a whopping 27 per cent of California's population-- a third of which are foreign-born individuals, according to the US Census. The heart of LA country, the city of Los Angleses, which is at the centre of volatile anti-immigration protests, is home to nearly 3.9 million people, over 35 per cent of whom were born outside the United States, the census data shows. It has nearly 900,000 undocumented immigrants, many of whom have lived in the United States for over a decade, according to a 2020 study by the University of Southern California Dornsife. Nearly one in five people in LA live in mixed-status households, where at least one family member is undocumented. According to a USA Today report, more than half of LA's foreign-born residents are naturalised citizens. Over 1.8 million of Los Angeles residents identify as Hispanic or Latino, nearly half a million are Asian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. Over 1.15 million people say they are "some other race," and more than half a million of them identify with two or more races. More than 56 per cent of people in the city speak a language other than English at home-- predominantly Spanish. This diversity makes Los Angeles uniquely vulnerable to Trump's immigration enforcement policies, which are being felt directly and deeply. How The LA Protests Started? The protests began on Friday after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers carried out raids in areas of the city with prominent Latino populations. These raids resulted in dozens of arrests of what authorities say are illegal migrants and gang members. City residents responded to arrests with chants and egg-throwing, prompting law enforcement to disperse the crowd using pepper spray and nonlethal ammunition. Protests have been going on for five days, spreading downtown and to the heavily Latino suburb of Paramount. The Trump administration has deployed nearly 700 Marines and over 4,000 National Guard troops in the Los Angeles area, stirring more street protests and raising alarm among Democratic leaders who warn of authoritarianism. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people who are in the country illegally and to lock down the US-Mexico border, setting a goal of at least 3,000 daily arrests.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Demographics of Los Angeles show its a fertile ground for anti-ICE protests
Why has Los Angeles, of all U.S. cities, erupted in mass protests against immigration raids? The answer may lie in this region's racial, ethnic and demographic makeup. Los Angeles County sprawls over more than 4,000 square miles of Southern California, and includes the city of Los Angeles, as well as Beverly Hill, Burbank, Compton, Glendale, Hollywood, Long Beach, Malibu, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Torrance and several other communities. It's home to nearly 10 million people and accounts for about 27% of California's population. A third of L.A. County's 10 million residents are foreign-born, according to the U.S. Census. The city of Los Angeles, in the heart of L.A. County, is home to nearly 3.9 million people, according to the 2020 U.S. Census. More than 35% of them were born outside the United States. Just over half of L.A.'s foreign-born residents are naturalized citizens, and more than 56% of Los Angeles residents speak a language other than English at home ‒ predominantly Spanish. More than 1.8 million of Los Angeles residents identify as Hispanic or Latino, and close to half a million are Asian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. More than 1.15 million people say they are "some other race," and just over half a million identify with two or more races. The demographics of the Los Angeles area "play a big role" in how the region functions, said Dr. Manuel Pastor, a professor of sociology and American studies and ethnicity at the University of Southern California, and director of the university's Equity Research Institute. Nearly half of L.A. County's workforce is foreign-born, he said, and about 60% of children have at least one immigrant parent, with nearly one out of five county residents either being undocumented or living with an undocumented family member, "so about 1/5th of the people here are experiencing this, whether directly or indirectly," Pastor said. Los Angelenos' average age is just over 37 years old, with the biggest portion of its "population pyramid" (a visual representation comparing the numbers of people in certain age cohorts) falling in the 25-29, 30-34 and 35-39 ranges. According to a 2020 study by University of Southern California Dornsife, there are about 900,000 undocumented immigrants in the city of Los Angeles, most of whom had been in the U.S. for 10 years or more. "So these people are deeply settled here," Pastor said. "They're part of the communities here, working in businesses, belonging to faith institutions." Many Angeleno families live in "mixed status" households, the study added, in which some members are citizens and some are not. The study also noted that, in 2020, "120,000 youth in L.A. County will become eligible to vote for the first time. Of that group, 60% have at least one immigrant parent." Many of the U.S.'s more recent immigrants, especially those who arrived between 2020 and 2023, went to places with lower costs of living than Southern California, like Florida and Texas, Pastor noted. "This matters because we are basically fertile ground for the Trump Administration to launch its spectacle of enforcement," Pastor said. The administration has said it's targeting criminals, but Los Angelenos are skeptical, he added: "It's more likely in L.A. to be removing a father who showed up to work or a mother who picked up her kids at school. Hard-core criminals are hard to find; pulling people from a day labor site is much easier." "To the extent that residents with documentation (i.e., naturalized citizens and lawful residents) feel sympathy with undocumented persons who may be targeted by ICE, that could play a role in the current protests," said Tim Bruckner a professor of public health and co-director at the University of California Irvine's Center for Population, Inequality, and Policy. Bruckner noted that past research has shown there is "a 'chilling' effect that targeted enforcement (such as ICE raids) has on persons who were not themselves targeted, but who felt a connection to the populations targeted," an effect that "extends beyond simply family or friends who know the persons targeted." Other factors might also be at play, he added, including education and income levels, not just in terms of where immigration enforcement is targeted but also the reaction to it. Undocumented people are less likely to have a bachelor's degree, and thus are more likely to be employed in low-wage jobs, and the district where the raids have taken place is believed to be home to a large share of the city's immigrants, "which might have led to further enforcement of areas in Downtown (Los Angeles)." In the 2024 election, Los Angeles County voters went overwhelmingly for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris (California's former attorney general) over Trump, with Harris winning nearly 65% of the vote to Trump's almost 32%. In addition, Democrat Adam Schiff, an incumbent, defeated Republican Steve Garvey (a former Los Angeles Dodger) for one of the state's U.S. Senate seat. There are nearly 6 million registered voters in Los Angeles County. Of those, registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans by a 3 to 1 margin: just over 3 million to slightly under 1 million (there are 148,078 registered Independents and 22,483 Green Party voters). Both California's governor, Gavin Newsom, and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass are Democrats. Those political demographics also play a role, Pastor said. "Aside from immigrant-bashing, California-bashing has also become a GOP sport," he said. "And it's pretty widespread here that people do not like ICE." Los Angelenos have also become accustomed to, and supportive of, their immigrant neighbors, whose ties to the community run deep and wide, he said. "Even people who aren't too far left value having a Korean taco truck, getting their lawns mowed and houses built," Pastor said. "There are a number of people who worry about their kids going to school to find their friends are suddenly gone, or have family members who are gone." Ultimately, he said, the ramifications for Los Angeles and its surrounding communities, still reeling from devastating wildfires earlier this year, could be dire. "One-third of our residential construction labor is undocumented immigrants," Pastor said. "If we're going to rebuild from the fires, (deporting immigrants) is not a strategy for relief." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LA demographics show its a fertile ground for anti-ICE protests
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Los Angeles, the city of immigrants with over 900,000 undocumented immigrants
Los Angeles, home to one of the largest immigrant populations in the U.S., has been rocked by massive protests following a federal immigration crackdown that saw over 40 arrests last week. Protesters shut down a major freeway and torched self-driving cars as police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. The anger stems from the city's deep immigrant roots. With nearly 900,000 undocumented immigrants (as per a 2020 study by University of Southern California Dornsife), many of whom have lived in the U.S. for over a decade, L.A. is uniquely vulnerable to immigration enforcement. About a third of Los Angeles County's 10 million residents are foreign-born, and nearly one in five live in mixed-status households—where at least one family member is undocumented. Los Angeles isn't just a city—it's a region of more than 4,000 square miles encompassing communities like Hollywood, Santa Monica, and Long Beach. Over half of its residents speak a language other than English at home, and more than 1.8 million identify as Hispanic or Latino. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Bank Owned Properties For Sale In Baleendah (Prices May Surprise You) Foreclosed Homes | Search ads Search Now Undo With nearly half of the county's workforce made up of immigrants, and about 60% of children having at least one immigrant parent, Trump's immigration policies are being felt directly and deeply. In a city this diverse—where identity, livelihood, and family structures are tightly interwoven with immigration—federal crackdowns don't just trigger opposition; they ignite mass resistance. FAQs Live Events How did the protests start? The protests began Friday when federal agents raided Los Angeles' garment district, targeting undocumented workers as part of the Trump administration's renewed focus on workplace immigration enforcement. Protesters responded with chants and egg-throwing, prompting law enforcement to disperse the crowd using pepper spray and nonlethal rounds. Demonstrations continued into Saturday, spreading downtown and to the heavily Latino suburb of Paramount. Police arrested several people and used tear gas, flash-bang grenades, and other crowd-control tactics to contain the unrest. What have officials said? President Trump labeled the demonstrators 'insurrectionists' on Monday, a term that may signal his intent to invoke the 1807 Insurrection Act, which would allow deployment of active-duty U.S. military to manage civil unrest. California's Democratic leaders strongly condemned the federal response. They criticized Trump's use of the National Guard as excessive and politically motivated, while calling on protesters to stay peaceful.
