‘No Kings’ demonstrations across L.A. against ICE sweeps, Trump presidency

Tens of thousands of demonstrators fanned out across Southern California Saturday for “No Kings Day” protests against President Trump, depicting the president as an aspiring monarch who violates Democratic norms as he has clashed with California leaders over his deployment of the military to clamp down on at times violent protests sparked by immigration raids.

The images — signs referencing the nation’s 1776 founding, crossed-out crowns; American, Mexican, Guatemalan and El Salvadoran flags; and the words “protest is patriotic” — stood in stark contrast to displays in Washington, D.C., where Trump’s birthday coincided with a day of carefully orchestrated concerts and exhibitions celebrating the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday before an up to $45-million parade replete with tanks and soldiers in fatigues.

“All of our rights are being violated,” said Michelle Verne, 56, who marched in downtown Los Angeles with roughly 30,000 others. She held a laminated copy of the Constitution that was shredded at the bottom. “We’ve had other administrations deport people, but not like this,” she said, referencing this month’s immigration enforcement that has swept up families at homes, in workplaces and while in vehicles.

“We love our country, that’s obvious,” Verne said. “We’re fighting for our rights.”

The protests — more than 2,000 were scheduled nationally and dozens in Southern California — were largest downtown. In Los Angeles County, marches were planned in Woodland Hills, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Pasadena, Whittier, Thousand Oaks, South Bay and scores of other neighborhoods.

Some social media posts and photos shared between friends showed Saturday’s crowds in a festive mood at times. In downtown L.A., state Sen. Maria Elena Durazo danced with protesters at Plaza Olvera.

Thousands lined Torrance Boulevard for roughly a mile from Hawthorne Boulevard past Maple Avenue, where raids have felt personal after a 9-year-old Torrance Elementary School student and his father were deported to Honduras after being detained during an immigration hearing in Los Angeles last month.

“When I saw that fourth-grade boy taken from his family, it gave me chills thinking of how scared he was,” said Laurie Pisano, a retired school librarian from Rancho Palos Verdes. “Democracy is important, and that’s not what’s happening.”

There was also a spattering of pro-Trump counter-activists who said they supported the president’s stated mission to carry out “the largest domestic deportation operation” in U.S. history. After nine straight days of immigration raids, several hundred immigrants have so far been detained around Los Angeles — a small drop of the more than 11 million in the U.S.

The Trump administration has painted its actions as a matter of safety and law and order, pointing to several individuals with violent criminal histories that it has netted. Opponents of the sweeps say many immigrants whose only legal violations are their immigration statuses are being swept up. They note that the actions have created a widespread sense of fear even among citizens, visa holders and permanent residents, many of whom are part of mixed-status families.

In Huntington Beach, a Republican stronghold, opposing crowds of pro- and anti-Trump protesters faced off on opposite corners of the intersection at Main and the Pacific Coast Highway, shouting epithets. “Make America Great Again” and “Trump 2024” signs were widely present. “Support your local ICE raid,” read a sign held up by a teenage boy, which also used an epithet to describe how people should treat “foreign friends.”

In West Hollywood Park, rainbow flags were commonplace as activists spoke out against many of the president’s policies, including his push against transgender teens playing on school sports that match their gender identity.

“He portrays us as un-American, as people who hate this country just because we come out against him,” said Magdalena Jamieson, 29, of West Hollywood. “In reality, we are standing up against the ways he breaks the rules and harms people. His anti-LGBTQ+ policies, his anti-DEI policies, his extreme way he’s treating immigrants and then using the military here.”

Many of those who came out across the region said they were there to support undocumented immigrants who were afraid to be present. In multiple interviews, individuals also described protesting as a democratic duty.

“How else are we going to express ourselves publicly in our society that something is wrong? The minute we are afraid to be ourselves outside, that’s when tyranny takes over,” said Jonathan Santiago, a 31-year-old Burbank resident demonstrating in downtown Los Angeles.

By mid-afternoon Saturday, a crowd of a few hundred protesters had surrounded the Federal Building downtown, where dozens of U.S. Marines stood guard at the entrance, clutching their guns and shields. The crowd chanted “shame,” “leave L.A.” and “we don’t want you.”

The Los Angeles protests that started on June 6 after news spread of potential immigration raids southeast of downtown have quickly expanded to the Civic Center and pockets of other areas such as Santa Ana. Incidents over the days have included a brief blocking of the 101 Freeway, viral images of a Waymo vehicle on fire and incidents of vandalism and theft at businesses downtown, including in Little Tokyo.

Overall, there have been roughly 500 arrests.

At a Saturday morning press conference, Mayor Karen Bass made a plea for peaceful protests, warning “the eyes of the world” were on Los Angeles.

“Please, please, do not give the administration an excuse to intervene,” she said. Bass said an 8 p.m. curfew would remain in effect Saturday night and implored protesters to stay away from violence and vandalism.

“Don’t even try,” she warned.

The mayor emphasized there had been no cooperation between the Los Angeles Police Department and the federal government, leaving local leaders guessing where federal troops would crop up Saturday among the thousands of California National Guard troops and hundreds of U.S. Marines authorized by Trump.

“We are functioning based on rumors that we hear … I’m still waiting to hear if the president will take my call,” she added. Police officers, she said, had been deployed “strategically” and would continue to operate under a unified command with the California Highway Patrol, the Sheriff’s Department and Los Angeles Fire Department.

Tensions between California leaders and Trump have been high since shortly after the protests broke out.

A federal judge this week said the White House had to hand over National Guard control back to Gov. Gavin Newsom. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals quickly put a pause on that order. A hearing on the matter is scheduled Tuesday. Trump has also suggested Newsom should be arrested for his response to protests.

In another incident, the FBI handcuffed and briefly detained California Sen. Alex Padilla after he attempted to ask a question of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during a news conference this week in Los Angeles.

On Saturday, the Senate Democratic caucus joined Padilla in urging President Trump to remove National Guardsmen and U.S. Marines from Los Angeles, writing in a letter that the deployment amounts to “an alarming abuse of executive authority.”

The deployment “continues to inflame the situation on the ground, and undermines the constitutional balance of power between the federal government and the states,” the letter read. “We urge you to immediately withdraw all military personnel that have been deployed to Los Angeles unless their presence is explicitly requested by the Governor and local leaders.”

An official with Padilla’s office said the letter amounted to “a significant push as the Senator finds ways to unite Democrats in the fight against Donald Trump’s overreach and abuse of power.”

Trump has defended the federal government’s actions.

“If I didn’t send the military into Los Angeles, that city would be burning to the ground right now. We saved L.A.,” the president posted on his Truth Social account Friday. Local law enforcement and politicians have disputed that depiction.

Speaking to reporters Thursday at the White House, Trump briefly addressed the “No Kings Day” events.

“I don’t feel like a king, I have to go through hell to get stuff approved,” he said, referencing the fact that he has had to negotiate with members of his party to accomplish legislative priorities. “No, no, we’re not a king, we’re not a king at all, thank you very much.”

Washington Bureau Chief Michael Wilner contributed from Washington, D.C., staff writers Dakota Smith and Karla Marie Sanford from Los Angeles and Sean Greene from Thousand Oaks.