Stringer Dispatch: How do locals view escalating protests in Los Angeles?

On June 8, clashes broke out between protesters and National Guard troops deployed outside federal law enforcement buildings in downtown Los Angeles, California. Police fired non-lethal rounds and the area was engulfed in tear gas.

The clashes followed a series of raids carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal law enforcement agencies at multiple locations in southern California, starting on June 6, which sparked widespread protests.

Protesters condemned the federal immigration arrests, saying they were tearing apart families in the community. A protester emphasized that many hardworking, tax-paying immigrant families faced arbitrary arrests and deportations, while the heavy-handed crackdown by the National Guard further escalated tensions. He called for respect for their constitutional right to protest and demanded an end to violent treatment of their communities.