Protests over immigration raids in downtown Los Angeles continued for a fourth consecutive day on Monday, with escalating clashes seen between protesters, police officers and the National Guard troops sent in by the Trump administration.
The clashes came after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids began on Friday across Los Angeles County, with a particular focus on the downtown fashion district and Latino communities, which sparked mass protests over the weekend.
The raids resulted in more than 100 arrests, drawing angry protesters who confronted agents with tear gas, flash-bang grenades and rocks.
A reporter on the scene from the China Media Group (CMG) observed continued protest activity outside the Los Angeles Federal Building in downtown LA on Monday, where demonstrators remained gathered in a tense standoff with National Guard personnel.
Liu Xiaoqian, a CMG correspondent, sent a dispatch from outside the Federal Building. He noted that there were fewer demonstrators compared to the previous day, with the Los Angeles Police Department having earlier declared protests in the area to be 'illegal gatherings' and continuously broadcasting this message through police loudspeakers, with officers also removing several people from the area.
Liu said that since protesters are prohibited from gathering directly in front of the federal building, they have been instead circulating around the entire block. Whenever demonstrators approach intersections near the restricted area, police officers promptly intervene to redirect them away from the site, he said.
"After circumventing police barricades, the protesters have now reached the opposite side of the building complex. As you can see in the direction I'm pointing, National Guard personnel stand equipped with shields and riot gear. While no direct physical confrontation has occurred yet, it remains uncertain how long this tense standoff will continue," Liu said.
Jessica, one of the protesters, told of her outrage at the heavy-handed response from authorities.
"The National Guard is supposed to protect people, to protect the community, not promote hate and division. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have no place in our city and we are done with the disrespect. [We] are out here peacefully. None of us have helmets, none of us have bulletproof vests, none of us have weapons -- I literally am just here with a cowhide drum -- and they are using excessive force, that's very unnecessary and they have been taking people out of their homes, children out of their schools, ripping families apart without proper due process. It is corruption," she said.
She also pointed to what she believes is a highly unjustified stance on immigration, noting that the land itself was originally seized from Native Americans.
"For them to sit here and act like you don't belong here, that is crazy. Nobody is illegal on indigenous stolen land. This land was illegally taken from us," she said.
Immigration protests continue in LA as situation remains tense
Immigration protests continue in LA as situation remains tense
