As the uprising against immigrant detentions intensifies in Los Angeles, California, demonstrations have also begun in other states.

On Friday and Saturday (June 6-7), federal officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began raiding streets and workplaces across Los Angeles, arresting and preparing to deport undocumented immigrants.

A major raid was conducted at Ambiance Apparel in the Fashion District, and violent clashes involving tear gas and stun grenades occurred between protesters and ICE agents in Paramount, a city southeast of Los Angeles.

Increased law enforcement pressure in the immigrant city of Los Angeles

According to New Yorker reporter E. Tammy Kim, some immigrants who arrived at the federal courthouse in Little Tokyo for registration were taken to the basement and then transported in vans to unknown locations.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that a nine-year-old elementary school student from Torrance, who was detained after a hearing at the end of May and transferred to a prison in a rural area of Texas, will be deported.

While lawyers were denied access to detainees, it was alleged that workers were being detained “based on their racial appearance.”

One-third of Los Angeles residents were born outside the US, and more than half speak a language other than English at home. Los Angeles is a “sanctuary city” located in a “sanctuary state,” which prohibits local authorities from cooperating with federal immigration officials.

Consequently, when the recent detentions, described by immigrant advocates as “kidnappings” or “disappearances,” spread via text messages and social media, thousands gathered to oppose the activities of federal law enforcement officers from various agencies.

This is how the first clashes between protesters who blocked the freeway and law enforcement began. Police responded with drones, batons, tear gas, and plastic bullets.

Fate of immigrants detained in raids unknown

The families of workers detained in the raid at the Ambiance Apparel warehouse, conducted by armed immigration officers and federal agents, continue their anxious wait.

Immigrants emphasize that they have no information about the status of their detained family members.

For example, according to a report in The Guardian, Yurien Contreras, whose father Mario Romaro was detained, said at a press conference in Los Angeles on Monday morning, “I saw them handcuff my father, chain him by the waist and ankles. My family and I can’t communicate with my father. We know nothing.”

Contreras said her father and other workers were “kidnapped” by the agents, adding, “I demand a fair trial for my father and dozens of other workers.”

Following the raids in the Fashion District, federal agents also handcuffed and detained workers at a Home Depot store in the nearby city of Paramount. Agents were also seen in front of a donut shop in nearby Compton and around schools.

The families of those arrested gathered in front of Ambiance on Monday, demanding the release of their loved ones. Some of the detained workers were the sole breadwinners for their families.

On the other hand, others like José Ortiz had been workers in Los Angeles’s garment district for years. Ortiz had worked at Ambiance for 18 years. His daughter, Saraí Ortiz, said, “He was always here. He was a loyal worker. He is someone who dedicated his life to this community and his job.”

At least 14 of those detained were members of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. Bishop John Harvey Taylor of Los Angeles said, “On Pentecost Sunday, 14 members of one of our diocesan churches could not come to church this morning. The government tore them from the arms of their families at home and from the body of Christ in the church.”

Hundreds detained, including union leaders

Police detained David Huerta, president of the California branch of the Service Employees International Union, at Ambiance Apparel on the first day. Huerta was released on June 9.

According to the LA Times, Luz Aguilar, an aide to Los Angeles City Council member Ysabel Jurado, was placed on unpaid leave after being arrested on suspicion of “assault with a deadly weapon” on a police officer during an anti-ICE protest.

“The allegations are extremely concerning, and we are taking them very seriously,” Jurado and her team said in a statement.

Authorities also prevented a delegation of elected officials and immigrant rights advocates from observing detentions at the courthouse, a practice that was previously a routine form of oversight.

According to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, federal agents detained nearly two hundred immigrants in two days. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that one hundred and eighteen people were detained.

National Guard deployed to Los Angeles

Late Saturday night, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that two thousand soldiers from the California National Guard would be deployed to suppress what White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller described as a “violent riot.”

Miller wrote on X that there were “foreign flags waving in American cities to defend an occupation.” Some of the Mexican immigrants in the area were waving Mexican flags during the demonstrations.

Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass objected to this order, stating they could handle the situation on their own.

Nevertheless, by early Sunday morning, 300 National Guard members had reported to their posts as a series of marches and rallies were held in various parts of the city.

Despite the arrival of the National Guard, the response to the demonstrations was generally handled by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). LAPD cars, SUVs, trucks, motorcycles, and later, horses, intervened against the protesters while helicopters and surveillance drones flew low overhead.

Pentagon sends Marines to the region

Meanwhile, as of June 10, 700 Marines were sent to the city by order of President Donald Trump to support the National Guard.

According to a statement from the US Northern Command (Northcom), the command activated a Marine Corps Battalion that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had ordered to be ready for deployment over the weekend amidst ongoing protests against ICE raids.

Approximately 700 Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, based at Twentynine Palms, California, will “seamlessly integrate” with National Guard troops already deployed to Los Angeles to protect federal personnel and property, the statement said.

The command stated that the Marines are “trained in de-escalation, crowd control, and rules for the use of force.”

In a post on X, Hegseth linked the deployment to increasing threats against federal officers and buildings. “Due to increased threats against federal law enforcement and federal buildings, approximately 700 active-duty US Marines from Camp Pendleton are being deployed to Los Angeles to restore order,” Hegseth wrote, then took a swipe at Governor Gavin Newsom, finishing with, “It is our duty to defend federal law enforcement, even if Gavin Newsom won’t.”

California’s Democratic leaders criticized the decision, saying it would further escalate tensions that had already led authorities to use tear gas during clashes with protesters. Trump told reporters, “We will send whatever it takes to ensure law and order.”

In a statement posted on X, Newsom’s press office criticized the movement of the Marines as “mobilizing the best unit of the US military against its own citizens.” The office added, “It is completely unjustified, unwarranted, and unprecedented for the tension to reach this level.”

Trump threatens Governor Newsom with ‘arrest’

President Trump insisted that this deployment was necessary to stop the protests against ICE.

This is the second time in the last 60 years that a US president has mobilized a state’s National Guard troops without the governor’s consent.

“The troublemakers are professional agitators. They are rioters. They are bad people. They should be in jail,” Trump told reporters on Monday (June 9).

Trump also said he would support Governor Newsom’s arrest. The President said this in reference to a back-and-forth between his “border czar” Tom Homan and Newsom. When Newsom said, “Come and arrest me,” Homan replied, “No one is above the law. Those who cross the line, who commit crimes, can be arrested.”

However, Newsom accused the Pentagon of “lying to the American people” to justify the deployment of troops within the state, claiming the situation only became violent after the US military deployed soldiers.

Newsom officially requested that the Trump administration withdraw National Guard troops from the streets, and the state of California has sued the Trump administration over the deployment, which its officials have described as “illegal.”

Trump also said, “Look, I like Gavin Newsom. He’s a good guy, but he’s extremely incompetent. Everyone knows it. All you have to do is look at the little railroad he built. It costs about 100 times the budget.”

Protests spread to other states

The anti-ICE demonstrations that started in Los Angeles, California, have begun to spread to other states.

On Monday, a largely peaceful march was held in downtown Austin, Texas, to condemn the nationwide increase in immigrant detentions.

In another Texas city, Dallas, dozens gathered with banners and flags to protest the Trump administration’s harsh measures against immigrants.

Police arrested a group of protesters who occupied Trump Tower in New York on Monday, demanding that ICE release the immigrants detained in recent raids.

New York police also reported that about 20 people were arrested during protests that broke out after ICE detained numerous immigrants at a courthouse in Lower Manhattan.

According to police, 23 people were arrested when activists gathered in front of the US Immigration Court on Varick Street near West Houston Street. While 18 were released with summonses, the status of the other 5 was not immediately known.

According to Hell Gate, the detained protesters were trying to block two vans that ICE agents were using to transport detained immigrants.

Republicans want to increase penalties for assault on police

Texas Republican Representative Tony Gonzales is preparing to reintroduce a bill aimed at stiffening penalties for assaulting police officers following the recent protests in Los Angeles.

The bill, previously introduced by Gonzales in 2023, aims to “increase prison sentences and fines for crimes of assaulting or obstructing law enforcement officers in the performance of their duties.”

According to a press release from Representative Gonzales on June 9, the bill is named the “Crimes Against Police Services Act” (COPS Act).

“The chaos created by rioters in Los Angeles this weekend was far from a peaceful protest; it was complete anarchy. Radical activists damaged Border Patrol and ICE vehicles on duty, resulting in injuries. It is time to emphasize a very clear message: those who harm law enforcement officers will face severe consequences,” Gonzales said in the press release.

Gonzales stated that he will introduce the COPS Act to Congress this week.