
LA’s 900,000 Undocumented Migrants: Unpacking the Surge in Immigration Protests
Los Angeles is particularly susceptible to the direct and profound effects of Trump’s immigration enforcement actions because of its diversity.
Why did US President Donald Trump launch his most stringent immigration crackdown over the weekend in Los Angeles, which is home to some of the richest and most influential people in America? The city’s racial, ethnic, and demographic composition holds the key to the solution.
The city of Los Angeles, as well as upscale neighbourhoods like Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Long Beach, Malibu, Pasadena, and Santa Monica, are all part of Los Angeles County, which covers 4,000 square miles of Southern California. According to the US Census, it is home to around 10 million people, or a staggering 27% of California’s total population, with a third of them being foreign-born.
According to census data, more than 35% of the almost 3.9 million residents of Los Angeles, the epicenter of LA country and the scene of tense anti-immigration demonstrations, were born outside of the United States. According to a 2020 study by the University of Southern California Dornsife, it has around 9,00,000 undocumented immigrants, many of whom have been in the country for more than ten years. In Los Angeles, over one in five persons reside in mixed-status families, meaning that at least one member of the family lacks legal status.
A USA Today article claims that almost half of the foreign-born people living in Los Angeles are naturalised citizens. Nearly half a million people in Los Angeles are Asian, Native Hawaiian, or other Pacific Islanders, and more than 1.8 million identify as Hispanic or Latino. More than half a million people identify as “some other race,” while more than 1.15 million people identify as “some other race.” Over 56% of the city’s population speaks a language other than English at home, primarily Spanish.
Because of its diversity, Los Angeles is particularly susceptible to the immediate and profound effects of Trump’s immigration enforcement measures.
How Did the Protests in LA Begin?
Following raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel in parts of the city with significant Latino populations, the protests started on Friday. Dozens of people who officials claim are gang members and illegal migrants were arrested as a result of these searches.
Law officials used pepper spray and nonlethal ammunition to disperse the throng as city residents reacted to arrests with chanting and egg-throwing. Over the course of five days, protests have expanded to the mainly Latino suburb of Paramount and downtown.
More street protests have been sparked by the Trump administration’s deployment of roughly 700 Marines and over 4,000 National Guard troops in the Los Angeles area, which has alarmed Democratic leaders who have warned of authoritarianism.
Trump has vowed to lock down the US-Mexico border and deport a record number of illegal immigrants since he returned to the White House in January. He has set a target of at least 3,000 arrests every day.