On Sunday, downtown Los Angeles became the stage for a massive protest sparked by President Trump’s renewed crackdown on immigration and increased deportations. The demonstration, which began on Placita Olvera near Olvera Street in DTLA and was organized via social media, quickly swelled into a movement that stretched onto the 101 Freeway and spilled over onto the surrounding streets well into the evening.
By 11:30 a.m., thousands of protesters had gathered, marching toward City Hall. Around noon, a significant group of demonstrators moved onto the southbound lanes of the 101 at the Alameda Street exit, and by 12:30 p.m., they had blocked both directions of the freeway. This action resulted in what LAPD described as “major gridlock” along the 101, as well as on Spring, Main, and Los Angeles streets in the downtown area.
The police managed to reopen both sides of the freeway by 1:20 p.m. as the protest shifted back to surface streets. However, the disruption quickly resumed when, minutes later, LAPD ordered the 101 closed once more—this time near Los Angeles Street. By 4 p.m., as the demonstrators left the freeway, they regrouped on the steps of Los Angeles City Hall.
Throughout the day, protestors carried signs vehemently condemning Trump’s immigration policies. One sign declared, “The real criminal is in the White House,” while another read, “Jesus said ‘Love Thy Neighbor,’ not deport them.”
In response, LAPD initiated multiple street closures, including a shutdown of Spring Street between Temple and 1st Streets. In a post on social media platform X, the department labeled the protest “non-permitted” while noting that, up to that point, the demonstration had remained peaceful.
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By approximately 6 p.m., police began urging the protesters to disperse, as reported by KTLA’s Jennifer McGraw, though it was unclear whether any arrests had occurred.
The protest comes amid a flurry of executive orders issued by President Trump since his return to office. These orders have expanded military involvement at the U.S.-Mexico border and eased previous restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Trump administration has prominently showcased its aggressive immigration enforcement on social media, boasting nearly 1,000 arrests per day in its early days.
Under the new directives, ICE now has broader authority to target migrants even at sensitive sites such as schools and churches. A statement from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security declared, “This action empowers the brave men and women in CBP and ICE to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens—including murders and rapists—who have illegally come into our country. Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest. The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense.”
In response to these heightened enforcement measures, local schools in the Los Angeles area have begun distributing “Know Your Rights” cards to inform students of their legal protections if approached by ICE agents.
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