The deputy mayor of a Californian city posted a video urging a criminal gang to fight back against Immigration Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents.

Cynthia Gonzalez, vice-mayor of Cudahy, south-west of Los Angeles, appeared to criticise Latino gangs for not “protecting our people” during immigration raids, which sparked a wave of protests across the state.

“I want to know where all the cholos are at in Los Angeles – 18th Street, Florencia Where’s the leadership at?,” she said in a now-deleted Instagram video.

A “cholo” is a slang word for a member of a Mexican-American gang subculture, according to a definition by Merriam-Webster.

“Because you guys are all about territory and, ‘This is 18th Street, this is Florencia.’ You guys tag everything up, claiming hood and now that your hood’s being invaded by the biggest gang there is, there ain’t a peep out of you.

“It’s everyone else who’s not about the gang life that’s out there protesting and speaking up. We’re out there fighting our turf, protecting our turf, protecting our people, and, like, where you at?”