By CARLOS SAPIR
As National Guard troops confront anti-ICE protesters in Los Angeles, the mobilizations against Trump’s agenda and the repressive actions taken to quiet it have both reached a new level. The Friday, June 6, massive ICE raids in Los Angeles were intended to inaugurate a new “normal” degree of authoritarian, anti-immigrant repression. The government has set a goal of 3,000 deportations per day, and it intends to meet that goal by rounding up workers en masse on the basis of racial profiling against Latino people.
The Friday raids were meant to be a show of force, striking one of the historical homelands of the immigrant rights movement. Instead, they’ve provoked an immediate groundswell of mobilization by the movement, with strong support from the labor movement as well. Hundreds of people showed up immediately to demonstrate against the raids and stood their ground against the ICE agents’ attacks. David Huerta, president of SEIU California and SEIU-United Service Workers West, was among those who showed up, and was attacked and arrested along with at least 44 others.
While union leaderships have been sluggish in responding to Trump’s prior attacks on workers, there has been no hesitancy in their statements demanding Huerta’s release and defending the actions in solidarity with immigrants. Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, issued a statement representing her union federation’s 15 million-strong membership, and local and regional bodies across the country have similarly joined in an outpouring of solidarity from around the country. Thrust into action, these unions have the power to challenge and upend the Trump program.
The protests have also noticeably included clear signs of participation from other social movements as well: In addition to the Mexican flags that are a common feature of immigrant protests, Palestinian flags have frequently appeared as well (and U.S. flags are conversely much less visible than they once were). People taking the streets to protest are making the connections between U.S. imperialism abroad and repression at home.
Protests grew on Saturday, and have continued on Sunday. The SEIU is planning a rally on Monday in Los Angeles and solidarity rallies are planned nationwide. Trump and his administration have responded to the movement by casting blame on Los Angeles and California, claiming that ICE agents were confronted by a “rebellion” and denouncing the LAPD and local governments for not engaging in swifter repression. As National Guard troops were trucked into the city, the Marines in nearby Camp Pendleton were placed on high alert (the Marines are Hegseth’s idea, which is to say they’re likely Jack Daniel’s idea more than anyone else’s).
Faced with this challenge, and knowing that the people of California overwhelmingly oppose ICE, California Governor Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass have denounced Trump’s measures, criticizing the raids and Trump’s further threats against protesters.
The deployment of 2000 National Guard troops to L.A. against the protests of local and state government officials is guaranteed to further inflame outrage and opposition to Trump’s authoritarian measures. With “No Kings Day” protests already set for the coming weekend, planned months in advance, this could easily become the largest moment of protest since Trump took office and a potential turning point for further mobilizations against the government.
The tasks for trade unionists, movement activists, and socialists are clear: We need to push our unions (especially those that have already issued protesting the raids of immigrant workers) to take action. Likewise, we must muster all of our forces to support the immigrant rights and civil liberties protests where they have emerged spontaneously, as well as to build the rallies planned for June 14-15, and to use these events as opportunities to further build connections and gather forces for the fights that are to come.
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Join Workers’ Voice in Chicago, July 3-6 for @socialismconference 2025! Friday, hear from immigrant organizers on how we defend our workplaces and communities against ICE at our panel. Saturday, join our meet-up to discuss our strategy of revolutionary mass action. #Socialism2025
