On June 20, 2025, Vice President JD Vance visited Los Angeles amid ongoing protests towards the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, which concerned Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids focusing on undocumented immigrants. Vance, a Marine veteran, toured a multi-agency Federal Joint Operations Middle and a Federal Cellular Command Middle, met with management and a few of the 700 U.S. Marines and 4,000 Nationwide Guard troops deployed to the town, and delivered remarks. His go to, the highest-ranking Trump administration look in Los Angeles because the unrest started, aimed to help federal regulation enforcement and reinforce the administration’s hardline immigration stance.
Vance accused California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of encouraging unlawful immigration by treating the town as a “sanctuary metropolis” and failing to help native regulation enforcement, together with Border Patrol. He claimed their insurance policies created “open season on federal regulation enforcement” and argued that the troops’ presence was essential to forestall additional unrest, stating, “The troopers and Marines are nonetheless very a lot a essential a part of what’s occurring right here, as a result of they’re fearful that it’s going to flare again up.” A U.S. appeals courtroom ruling on June 19, 2025, allowed President Trump to retain management of the California Nationwide Guard, deployed earlier in June towards Newsom’s needs, fueling the nationwide debate over army use on U.S. soil.
The protests, which started on June 6, 2025, erupted after ICE raids at places like Residence Depot shops, garment factories, and warehouses, leading to over 118 arrests of undocumented immigrants by June 7. Demonstrations, largely peaceable however with sporadic violence, noticed clashes with police, vandalism (e.g., Waymo autos set ablaze), and at the least 378 arrests over 4 days, together with distinguished labor chief David Huerta, charged with impeding federal officers. Protesters, some waving Mexican and Salvadoran flags, chanted “ICE out of LA” and blocked freeways, whereas the administration labeled them “insurrectionists.” Newsom and Bass condemned the raids and troop deployment, with Bass calling Vance’s claims “lies and nonsense” and Newsom labeling the army presence unconstitutional, escalating tensions.
Sentiment on X displays polarized views: Trump supporters praised Vance’s go to as decisive, whereas critics, together with native reporters barred from his press convention, accused him of inflaming tensions. The Los Angeles unrest, costing almost $20 million in damages by June 16, has sparked nationwide anti-ICE protests in cities like New York, Chicago, and Seattle, highlighting the contentious immigration debate.
