Remember the chaos that gripped Los Angeles in June 2025?

For days, agitators threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at federal agents, torched cars, looted businesses, and blockaded a freeway. All of these actions were taken in response to the legitimate arrest of immigration violators by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the federal agency charged with interior enforcement of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Hundreds of protesters were arrested amidst the turmoil, and more than $20 million worth of property damage was inflicted. What the establishment media framed as “spontaneous protests” against immigration enforcement operations was actually a full-blown insurrection against federal authorities, attempting to enforce duly enacted federal laws within the borders of the United States.

But here's the ugly truth: this wasn't an organic act of civil disobedience emerging from within the local community. It was a manufactured grievance that was meticulously orchestrated by anti-borders radicals and shadowy foreign actors to sabotage President Trump’s agenda on immigration enforcement.

In an investigative report published last week by my organization, the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), we took a detailed look at that reality.

Our report explains how several domestic actors were bankrolling and coordinating  the unrest in LA, including anti-borders organizations like the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) and the Hispanic Federation. These groups have histories of advocating for reduced immigration enforcement and amnesty policies. Other notable groups involved in the disorder included the Immigrant Youth Coalition and Unión del Barrio, which are known for mobilizing against ICE operations and promoting “no borders” ideologies through direct interference with federal immigration enforcement actions .

In organizing the riots, many of these groups provided “know your rights” training sessions, organized direct action efforts, conducted seminars on so-called “community self-defense” tactics against ICE operations, provided legal support for protesters who were arrested , and distributed bail funds to ensure the quick release of participants in the protests. These activities not only amplified participation by agitators, but also shielded organizers from immediate consequences.

In addition to domestic agitators, FAIR’s report shows that there is also evidence of foreign involvement in the LA unrest. This included foreign funding designed to exacerbate domestic divisions on immigration—especially from Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-affiliated groups. For example, Neville Singham (a U.S. billionaire in China with CCP ties) funded groups like Party for Socialism and Liberation, which was involved in the unrest. Reports describe a “dark money network” sending millions to far-left entities advancing CCP propaganda and sowing discord on issues like immigration.

Foreign meddling with U.S. immigration enforcement is also evident from the Mexican government—which provided consular support to detained nationals and publicly condemned ICE operations. Sources also indicate that the Mexican cartels benefit from and indirectly support conditions that maintain open migration routes in the United States, and that disrupt immigration enforcement efforts domestically.

The bottom line of our report is that none of the unrest that we saw in LA this summer was grassroots activism. It was violence and disorder, supercharged to derail President Trump’s agenda and undermine national security.

Those who financed and organized the unrest should be investigated by law enforcement authorities and held accountable — including under authorities like the federal Anti-Riot Act, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), as well as federal anti-terrorism provisions.

It is encouraging to see that several probes into the riots have been opened by the FBI, the Department of Justice, and several oversight committees in Congress. Just as important, we as citizens should be skeptical of how news events are presented to us by the legacy media, particularly those that allege — without credible supporting evidence — a massive, organic movement against the law-and-order policies of the Trump administration. The media’s track record on that front is littered with deception, gaslighting and blatant partisanship.

America deserves secure borders and safe streets, not foreign-fueled, anti-American riots. Nearly all relevant polls indicate that U.S. citizens are strongly in favor of robust border control policies and tough immigration enforcement.

Mateo Forero is the director of investigations at the Federation for American Immigration Reform in Washington, D.C.

Image: Screen shot from Fox News video, via YouTube