Editor’s Note: Last week, George penned a Spanish-language version about the Los Angeles protests for MIT Sloan Management Review México, and we asked him to write an English-language version with updates since then.

Los Angeles has a long history of protest and civil unrest directly tied to policies that increased racial tensions. The Zoot Suit riots of 1943, the Watts riots of 1965, the South Los Angeles riots of 1992, and most recently, the riots following the death of George Floyd in 2020 are some of the most notable examples.

For those of us who remember 1992, the thought of a city engulfed in flames, armed civilians protecting their businesses, the National Guard roaming the streets, and the naked truth of racial tensions is something we do not want to relive.

Once again, downtown Los Angeles and its suburbs have become a battleground between protesters, agitators, and law enforcement. The cause this time: raids carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) across the city on June 2, and the Trump administration’s threat of more mass raids for the next 30 days.

These latest protests are a manifestation of the frustration and fear the U.S. Latino community is experiencing under Donald Trump’s administration. 

Since Trump signed executive orders declaring an emergency at the southern border on his first day in office, the Latino community has lived in constant uncertainty. Not only that, but also under the threat of federal actions born from the same rhetoric that helped Trump win again.

From the beginning, it was clear that images of ICE agents rounding up migrants in mass deportation raids would cause widespread fear and outrage in this community.

I’m a resident of 4th and Spring Street in downtown Los Angeles. I’ve seen it all unravel outside my window, and let me tell you, there’s a big difference between protesters exercising their right to free speech and agitators seizing the moment.

These ICE deportation protests feel different. They are not chaotic. They are largely peaceful, well-organized, and driven by a wide range of community groups advocating for causes from immigrant rights to opposition to the military parade in Washington and the liberation of Palestine.

But inevitably, a group of social misfits arrives. They’re the ones really causing the unrest. Protesters leave in the afternoon. Rioters and vandals come at night. 

Most Angelenos understand the difference, but Trump and the Republican Party are working hard to lump everyone together and blame them for the damage.

In a world shaped by echo chambers, the line between good and evil, just and unjust policies, and the role immigrants play in sustaining the U.S. economy is muddier than ever. 

Trump and the GOP claim the federal government’s intervention is to maintain law and order. But the reality is different. 

Last week, the White House admitted that Trump’s directive to send the California National Guard was merely a distraction.

The real reason was Trump’s ego and his desire to punish California for being the most liberal state in the country.

He’s declared war on California and wants to show Governor Gavin Newsom, Mayor Karen Bass, and other Democrats that he’s still in charge. They want to portray California’s leaders as weak and incapable. Will these tactics work? Time will tell.

The truth is, Bass suffered a major blow to her leadership image after the fires that devastated the city earlier this year. And Newsom’s liberalism hasn't aged well with voters.

But beyond political rivalries, there’s another void that’s harder to ignore.

I believe the arrest of U.S. Senator Alex Padilla was a political stunt. As someone who’s organized over a hundred Cabinet-level press conferences, I can tell you Protective Services and the Secret Service would never let anyone —Senator or not— barge into a press conference. And I believe Padilla knew that.

It reminded me of former Univision anchor Jorge Ramos’ “arrest” in 2017 when he interrupted a Trump press conference. A Spanish-speaking reporter told me Ramos was bragging about getting arrested. She rolled her eyes, and so did I.

In Padilla’s case, yes, it was a stunt, but a necessary one. He had no choice, and I reluctantly give him credit for standing up to Trump and playing the role of martyr. He did it because, sadly, we don’t have national Latino leaders rising to the moment.

Ask yourself: Do we (Latinos) have a national figure like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—someone who would lead, call for peace, and walk at the front of the march?

The answer is no. 

And in the absence of that leadership, even our own messaging is getting muddled.

Like millions of Latino families on Father’s Day, mine had the “stop it with the Mexican flags” conversation. To the protestors waving the Mexican flag: your nationalism is hurting our cause. And Mexico doesn’t care about you.

I understand Mexican pride. I embody it. I was born and raised in Mexico City, and those who know me know that. I’m proud to be Mexican, and I’m also proud to be American. But I would never take the Mexican flag to a protest about staying in this country. I’d wave the American flag and make Republicans eat their own words.

By fate or coincidence, I first learned about the new ICE raids around 9:30 a.m. at the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles.

“They're raiding the Home Depot on Pico and also the downtown alleys,” one official told another.

I was in line for a transaction. The anguish on the faces of my paisanos was undeniable.

MacArthur Park is the most striking example of how things have changed for L.A.’s immigrant Latino community. It’s densely populated, the birthplace of the Mara Salvatrucha street gang, and home to the Mexican Consulate.

Until recently, MacArthur Park felt like stepping out of a Mexico City subway station. Vendors sold everything from knockoff electronics to tacos and pupusas.

But that morning, when I exited the station, everything had changed. Metal fences surrounded shuttered businesses. Not a single street vendor in sight. The same thing happened on Vermont Avenue.

What makes these protests different is the fiscal, political, and ideological war Trump has declared on California. 

Days before the ICE raids, Newsom and Trump were trading jabs over California’s contributions to the federal budget.

It started with Trump ordering his advisors to explore cutting or eliminating federal funds and programs for California. This, despite the state’s $12 billion deficit.

Programs at risk include the California High-Speed Rail, meant to connect L.A. and San Francisco. Despite delays and ballooning costs, once completed, it will help cement California as the world’s fourth-largest economy. Trump wants to derail that.

Also at stake: hundreds of millions in research grants, like those that helped Elon Musk develop Tesla’s tech.

Newsom seized the moment, reminding Trump that California contributes $609 billion to the federal government and receives $83 billion less in return.

California is indeed a “donor state.” Its resources subsidize Republican-led states. Yet it remains enemy number one for Trump’s administration.

If anything, what happened in L.A. should serve as a model for other cities preparing for ICE raids.

Summer is here, and there’s a saying: heat makes people crazy. There's some truth to that.

Eventually, the protests in Los Angeles will die down. But expect more across the country before fall. This will go down as the summer of ICE protests.

George I. Gonzalez is a political and corporate communications expert with more than 20 years of experience. He founded the firm Complex Made Simple, is a former White House appointee for the Obama administration, and a contributor to the MIT Sloan Management Review México, where he writes about the intersection of Mexican and American politics. He is a proud native of Mexico City and can be found on LinkedIn.

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No Kings: Via Axios, “Millions of protesters across the U.S. took to the streets in demonstrations against the Trump administration on Saturday, in stark counter-programming to the president's Washington, D.C., military parade that evening.”

The Latino Newsletter welcomes opinion pieces in English and/or Spanish from community voices. Submission guidelines are here. The views expressed by outside opinion contributors do not necessarily reflect the editorial views of this outlet or its employees.