Since taking office in January, Trump has wasted no time following through on his promises to mass deport undocumented immigrants spearheaded by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The agency has reported hundreds of arrests each day, boasting totals as high as nearly 1,200 in one day. As of the first week of February, the Department of Homeland Security has reported almost 5,700 immigrants had been deported, the majority from Mexico.

Within the last month, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids have taken place in major U.S. cities like Chicago, Denver, and Boston. It is no surprise that Los Angeles, the second largest city in the country and second largest sanctuary city, has now become a target for ICE operations. These intensified enforcement actions have sparked widespread protests in support of the city’s immigrant communities. Demonstrations have occurred all across LA County, with participants expressing opposition to the mass deportations and advocating for immigrant rights.

The first large protests began on February 2^nd in downtown LA  with hundreds gathering Sunday morning and by noon had grown to thousands of people marching along the 101 Freeway. This caused a gridlock on one of the major highways in LA and prompted the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) to unsuccessfully try to move protestors back onto the surface streets. Protestors carried signs voicing anti-Trump and anti-ICE sentiments along with waving Mexican flags and playing music. Sometime in the afternoon, cars could be seen doing burnouts and donuts in the freeways and intersections near City Hall, gathering  more attention.

The protests continued into the evening until officers in riot gear told demonstrators to disperse, clearing all the people out and reopening the streets by 8 pm. Despite being a non-permitted protest that disrupted the flow of traffic at major intersections, no arrests had been reported. It seems the protest had been organized through social media platforms TikTok and Instagram, as evidenced by the large youth presence, and media interviews with them.

The next day, February 3^rd saw the start of a “Day Without Immigrants” protest beginning at City Hall. The goal of the movement was a nationwide day where people were encouraged not to work, shop, or go to school in support of immigrants. In LA, protestors gathered outside in the morning with signs and flags and marched through the streets. Similar to the previous day, protestors blocked intersections and marched along the freeway disrupting traffic, but the protests remained peaceful. Some businesses in the area also closed for the day or even gave their employees paid time off in support of the movement. By the evening LAPD, wanted to reopen the streets and ordered protestors to disperse.

Students have comprised a very active portion of the protestors, organizing within their schools and through social media. Youth-led activism like walkouts and marches have long been seen in LA activism, going back to the 60s. As the protests continued on February 4^th, many high school students who had skipped classes could be seen joining the ongoing protests. Students walked out of school and gathered in front of City Hall to join protestors and then marched to the LA Unified School District (LAUSD) offices. LAPD reported that high school students were throwing rocks at officers and spray-painting City Hall. LAUSD reported that at least 33% of area students had skipped classes that day.

Student walkouts continued throughout the week at high schools in the Eastside, Santa Monica, Van Nuys, and Culver City. Though the protests have remained mostly peaceful with little violence from police or counter protestors, there was one major incident involving a Hispanic teen who was stabbed at a protest outside City Hall on February 7^th.

These walkouts are being organized by the students themselves, mainly through social media posts. Many schools have been supportive of the students, handing out “Know Your Rights” cards to inform students of their legal protections if confronted by ICE and warning them of fake law enforcement agents. However, some schools have given students suspensions due to disruptions, leading to debates about appropriate disciplinary action.

Further up in northern LA County, protests kicked off in the Antelope Valley. The first protests happened in Palmdale following those in LA on February 3^rd. Hundreds of people showed up to march on one of the busiest streets in the city with some cars blocking traffic and playing music. Eventually police in riot gear moved in to get people out of the street and disperse. The following day, another protest took place in Lancaster at 7 am. Though smaller than the protests of the previous day there was still a large number of people taking over a corner on Lancaster Blvd while police observed from a block away. Cars passing by would honk their horns in support.

These protests are not limited to LA County ,as demonstrations took place just east of LA in San Bernadino County where a protest that blocked the 215 Freeway turned violent as rocks were thrown. It resulted in a direct confrontation with police officers being injured. A little north of LA, students at University of California, Santa Barbara have taken action against Trump and the University’s repressive policies as one student observed:

On Wednesday at UC Santa Barbara, in a cold drizzle, a crowd of roughly 100 students turned out in to protest the Trump administration’s targeted attacks on migrants. The demonstration took over the central quad near the library and followed months of organized protests against the continuing US-backed genocide in Palestine. The vocabulary of this most recent mass action directly and intentionally fits within in a constant and growing intersectional wave of disruption against the emboldened forces of global reaction. Despite the rain, and the UC’s repressive new policies against protests, students marched, chanted, and disrupted business as usual — the march was audible across campus. Students occupied and dispersed around UCSB’s so called “Eternal Flame” — a memorial to the civil rights movements and leaders of the 1960s — directly highlighting the hypocrisy of the UC’s retroactive institutional support of historical progressive movements.

It has been less than a month since Trump has been in office and a large movement has already formed in reaction to his renewed directives. He has already expressed dissatisfaction with the number of daily immigration arrests being made, calling for increased quotas so they can reach the promised one million deportations. The situation is expected to escalate as leaked memos have revealed plans to carry out a large scale operation in LA with federal agents from other agencies being asked to assist, presumably to conduct “knock and talks” as had been done in Chicago.

The widespread protests, student walkouts, and acts of civil disobedience reflect a movement that is not only reacting to immediate policies but also questioning the deeper structures of oppression and displacement. The movement is expanding beyond just opposition to Trump’s policies, incorporating broader critiques of systemic oppression and linking local struggles against deportation to global issues like Palestine with slogans like “Fight displacement from LA to Palestine.” Demonstrations have garnered national attention as they have disrupted traffic, drawn thousands into the streets, and gained solidarity from local businesses and schools. The significant youth presence at these demonstrations has also been noteworthy in building public support through social media. As ICE operations intensify and federal authorities expand their reach, the struggle is likely to escalate, with youth and marginalized communities at its forefront.