Amid escalating ICE raids and federal troop deployments in California, mass protests have erupted nationwide raising concerns about federal authority and the future of immigration policy in the U.S.
Over the weekend of June 7th-8th, protests in heavily Hispanic areas of California have become targets for ICE. President Trump bypassed state authorities and riled up a fight with California governors by invoking Title 10 of the U.S. Code, deploying 2,000 National Guard troops without California Governor Gavin Newsom’s approval. Molotov cocktails were thrown, federal agents fired rubber bullets and 118 arrests were made by ICE. Rubber bullets were fired at civilians and journalists reporting live from California, British photojournalist Nick Stern is due to go into surgery while an Australian foreign correspondent was hit in the leg, as reported by the BBC.
Trump continued his battle by ordering 700 active-duty Marines to patrol the region - the first of such domestic use in more than 30 years. LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said the deployment created serious logistical and operational challenges as LAPD had not received any ‘formal’ notice that Marines would be arriving in the city (as stated in the Independent), and legal experts warned that the move may violate the Posse Comitatus Act which bars federal troops from domestic law enforcement unless the Insurrection Act is invoked - which has not happened yet. As a result of President Trump’s unprecedented steps, Governor Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta are planning to sue the Trump administration, calling the deployment unconstitutional.
California Pays the Bills
California, the nation’s largest donor state, finds itself at the epicenter of a growing clash over federal immigration enforcement. The disproportionate targeting of Latino families while undocumented immigrants from European countries remain largely untouched, has sparked widespread concern about the economic costs. The looming threat of mass deportations poses serious risks to California’s labor market and jeopardizes the state’s hard-won progress in fostering demographic diversity and cultural inclusion.
The state provides approximately $83 billion more to the federal government than it receives in return and leads the nation in agriculture and manufacturing, with over 36,000 firms employing more than 1.1 million workers. As the state pushes back against federal measures in both the courts and communities, the outcome of this clash may reshape the balance of power between federal and state governments. According to a 2022Los Angeles Timesanalysis of Census Bureau data, foreign-born Californians make up about one-third of all restaurant and warehouse workers, 40% of home healthcare and child daycare providers, nearly half of trucking and lodging employees, and 60% of workers in landscaping and building cleaning services. These industries form the backbone of the state’s economy and without immigrant labor, their foundations are at risk.
No Kings
A volunteer-led grassroots movement known as 50501 - ‘50 states, 50 protests, one movement’, has become a powerful force of uniting citizens to fight against the resurgence of Trump’s immigration crackdowns and what organisers describe as a rising threat to American democratic norms. Despite operating without financial resources, the 50501 Movement has successfully organized multiple events, and each day of protest has seen growing turnout, expanding alliances, and increased national attention. 50501 have grounded their strategy in what’s known as the 3.5% rule, a political science principle suggesting that sustained, nonviolent protest by just 3.5% of a population can bring about major social and political change “This is bigger than one protest or one presidency,” said a spokesperson for the movement.
More than 2,000 protests were planned across all 50 states during the weekend of June 14th-15th, in perfect timing with Trump’s 79th birthday and Flag Day - a spectacle that was to promise a symbolic reclaiming of patriotic values through a $45 million military parade in Washington, D.C. “Real power doesn’t come from parades in Washington, it rises up from everywhere else.” stated a 50501 spokesperson. 50501 activists and protesters viewed the event as emblematic of authoritarian posturing, clashing with the democratic ideals they seek to defend. In cities across the country, including Southern California, signs reading “No Kings” were prominently displayed, rejecting any drift toward autocratic or monarch-like leadership. Protesters emphasized that the presidency is a public trust, not a throne and 50501’s core message“No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings.”served as a nationwide rallying cry for those alarmed by recent escalations in immigration enforcement, politicization of the military, and efforts to centralize executive authority.
Remaining Tensions
In a statement responding to comments from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum cautioned against politicizing humanitarian aid and firmly rejected any suggestion that her administration had incited unrest. She reiterated Mexico’s commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of Mexican nationals living in the United States.
Meanwhile, the legal dispute over President Trump’s deployment of the California National Guard is set to be heard by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals today, Tuesday, June 17th. The court will hold a remote hearing to consider California’s challenge to the federalization of its National Guard troops during ongoing protests.
Sources
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-06-14/la-me-no-kings-marches-los-angeles
https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/06/06/californians-pay-trumps-bills/
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/la-protest-arrests-jim-mcdonnell-b2767233.html
https://www.nokings.org/?SQF_SOURCE=50501
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg7vzrj6g3o#:~:text=He%20is%20now%20recovering%20at,very%20deliberate%20and%20very%20obvious%22