Fact check: What were the LA protests this weekend about and who organized them?

1. Summary of the results

The LA protests were triggered by extensive ICE immigration raids that began on June 6, 2025, targeting multiple locations including the Los Angeles Fashion District, Home Depot in Paramount, and other areas with large Latino populations ^{[1] [2]}. The raids resulted in over 100 arrests, specifically 44 unauthorized immigrants in one operation and 77 in the greater LA area ^[3]. The protests escalated over the weekend, involving thousands of demonstrators ^[4].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several crucial contextual elements were missing from the original question:

• The protests were significantly escalated by President Trump's controversial deployment of National Guard troops - specifically 300 troops without California Governor Newsom's consent, later increased to 2,000 troops ^{[5] [2]}
• While LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell described the protests as "largely peaceful," there were notable incidents of:
• Vandalism and vehicle fires
• Protesters blocking freeways
• Setting self-driving cars on fire
• Clashes with law enforcement involving tear gas, pepper spray, and flash-bang grenades ^{[4] [6]}
• The raids were part of what Trump administration called the "biggest deportation operation" in US history, specifically targeting Latino communities in areas such as Westlake and Paramount ^[3]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The question's simplicity obscures several important aspects:

• Scale and Scope: The events were not isolated protests but part of a larger response to a nationwide immigration enforcement operation ^[3]
• Multiple Stakeholders: Several groups had vested interests in these events:
• The Trump administration, pushing for aggressive deportation efforts ^[3]
• Local law enforcement, attempting to maintain order while acknowledging the largely peaceful nature of protests ^[6]
• Immigration advocacy groups, organizing demonstrations to show solidarity with detained immigrants ^[7]
• State government, particularly Governor Newsom, who was bypassed in the National Guard deployment decision ^[5]
• Competing Narratives: While law enforcement emphasized the "largely peaceful" nature of protests ^[6], other sources highlighted the escalation and violence ^[4], suggesting different stakeholders were attempting to control the narrative according to their interests.