How the Mexican flag became the symbol of the LA protests

‘I have to show support also for our Mexican brothers and sisters,’ one demonstrator said

When protestors took to the streets of Los Angeles to oppose the policies of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, many did so with a Mexican flag in their hands.

Demonstrations erupted after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said they had arrested 118 immigrants during operations in Los Angeles last week. Ever since, demonstrators have taken to the streets in Los Angeles, Compton and Paramount to protest the raids.

Millions of residents in Los Angeles have Mexican ancestry. The city is also home to upwards of 900,000 undocumented people. As a result, residents there have felt compelled to challenge policies that they believe are harming their community.

On Sunday morning, Elizabeth Torres, 36, stood outside a detention center in downtown Los Angeles and protested Trump’s actions. She, too, had the green, white and red flag with her.

“I am a very proud American,” she told The New York Times. “But I have to show support also for our Mexican brothers and sisters.”

The strong show of support and anti-ICE sentiment has angered those within the Trump administration.

A demonstrator waves a Mexican flag in front of a burning vehicle during a protest in Los Angeles (Middle East Images)

In a social media post on Sunday afternoon, White House adviser Stephen Miller said the demonstrators were “foreign nationals, waving foreign flags, rioting and obstructing federal law enforcement attempting to expel illegal foreign invaders.”

A protester waves the Mexican flag atop a Waymo vehicle during an anti-ICE protest in downtown Los Angeles (Middle East Images)

Over the weekend, President Donald Trump deployed 2,000 members of the National Guard to Los Angeles to quash the protests, further angering demonstrators.

In response, Newsom wrote on X: “I have formally requested the Trump Administration rescind their unlawful deployment of troops in Los Angeles County and return them to my command...We didn't have a problem until Trump got involved. This is a serious breach of state sovereignty — inflaming tensions while pulling resources from where they're actually needed. Rescind the order. Return control to California."

A woman stands next to a man carrying a Mexican flag, at a protest against federal immigration sweeps in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, California on June 8 (Reuters)

Almost 60 people have been arrested in the protests so far, according to NBC News.

“They’re the children and grandchildren of immigrants,” Chris Zepeda-Millán, a professor of Chicano studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, told the newspaper about the protestors. “They have no doubt in their own citizenship or their own belonging here, but they understand the racial undertones of the attacks on immigrants.

Protesters hold anti-ICE signs and a Mexican flag during clashes between police and demonstrators (Getty)

“So you’re getting this reaction of ‘We’re not going to let you make us be ashamed of where our parents and grandparents came from,” he said.

Eric Torres, 30, echoed his remarks. “I came out here to support my people and show them where we came from,” he said while waving a Mexican flag in front of sheriff’s deputies in riot gear on Sunday.

“I came out here to support my people and show them where we came from,” he told the newspaper. “My parents are immigrants. Most of the people right here have immigrant parents, so I’m here to support, show them our love.”