AP PHOTOS: Mexican flags at LA protests spark debate over symbolism

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

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Over the past week, a sea of green, white and red Mexican flags have become a fixture of the Los Angeles protests against immigration raids.

The use of Mexican and other Latin American flags during the protests are a form of symbolism many conservatives are calling anti-American — while others argue they are an expression of pride in one’s homeland that could not be more American.

Whether it be United States, Mexican or Palestinian flags, the banners reflect a nation of immigrants whose stories have become intertwined with the story of America, experts say.

Kris Klein Hernández, an assistant professor of history at Connecticut College, said the flying of foreign flags in the U.S. has always brought awareness to the plight of marginalized groups. Their appearance in the latest protests might symbolize solidarity with their native land or social movements that support Americans of Mexican descent, he said.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that those flying Mexican flags at immigration protests were left-wing radicals who attacked law enforcement agents “removing violent, criminal illegal aliens from the city.”

And even fierce Trump critic former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican, expressed his displeasure with the display of non-American flags at immigration protests that have spread to other states.

“Peaceful protests are fine. Violence is not and will only destroy your message," Kinzinger wrote on X. "American flags or nothing.”

Amid the backlash, many Americans who support the right to protest are encouraging demonstrators to protest against immigration policies with the American flag instead of a foreign one, as way of reclaiming the U.S. flag for all who call the U.S. home.

This underscores just how influential the American flag can be, Hernández said. “What we are seeing ... is that people don’t like to see some flags over others,” he said.

Some Latino activists say the Mexican flag is being used by people who were in this land before it was part of the United States. California was part of Mexico until the 1800s. Many Mexican Americans are descendants of people who never crossed a border — instead the border crossed them.

Still, their display of the Mexican flag at protests is being twisted into something it's not, said Juan Proaño, CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens.

Hector E. Sanchez, president and CEO of “Mi Familia Vota,” a nonprofit focused on mobilizing Latino voters, said Mexicans have been at the forefront of attacks when it comes to immigration — attacks heightened during both of Trump’s campaigns.

Sanchez said he wonders why it's not called anti-American when some Americans fly Confederate flags next to the U.S. flag.

“We see a lot of flags celebrating cultural history and heritage,” he said. “Why is it that the Mexican community is constantly under attack?”

This story has been changed to correct former Rep. Adam Kinzinger's political affiliation. He is a Republican, not a Democrat.

A protester wearing a Los Angeles Dodgers shirt and sporting an American flag as a cape walks past a line of police blocking a street in downtown Los Angeles on Monday, June 9, 2025. (AP Photo Jae Hong)

A protester leaps off a burning Waymo taxi near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night's immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Officers make their way down a ramp to the 101 Freeway near the metropolitan detention center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night's immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Supporters gather as civil rights legend Dolores Huerta, 95, speaks at a rally in Los Angeles, Monday, June 9, 2025, calling for the release of labor union leader David Huerta, who was arrested during a protest on June 6. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

A protester wears a respirator outide a detention center in downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night's immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Jae Hong)

A protester waves a flag as a Waymo taxi burns near the metropolitan detention center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night's immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Protesters block the 101 Freeway near the metropolitan detention center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night's immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Jae Hong)

A protester holds and national flag upside down, Monday, June 9, 2025, in downtown Los Angeles. (AP Photo Eric Thayer)

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. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Protesters block the 101 Freeway near the metropolitan detention center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night's immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A protester kneels waving a National flag from El Salvador in front of a line of law enforcement officers near a federal building in downtown Los Angeles on Monday, June 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Los Angeles police in riot gear form a skirmish line and push back protesters down a street away from a federal building in downtown Los Angeles on Monday, June 9, 2025. (AP Photo Jae Hong)

A protester waves a national flag from El Salvador in front of a line of California National Guard guarding the front of a federal building in downtown Los Angeles on Monday, June 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Protesters gather to denounce ICE, U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement, operations Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo Damian Dovarganes)

A person carrying multiple flags walks past a burning car during protests over the Trump administration's immigration raids in Los Angeles, Monday, June 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

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