Two distinct groups are protesting federal immigration enforcement in Los Angeles: the peaceful protesters organized by various organizations and the “professional rioters” or anarchists looking for a fight.
“When I look at the people who are out there doing the violence, that’s not the people that we see during the day who are legitimately out there exercising their First Amendment rights to be able to express their feelings about the immigration enforcement issue,” Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell told CNN.
Recommended Stories
- ABC News parts with Terry Moran after online rant about Stephen Miller: Report
- House repeals two DC laws dealing with noncitizens voting and police transparency
- Schiff deems Trump's National Guard deployment a 'distraction' from 'big, ugly bill'
FBI Director Kash Patel announced Monday that the agency would conduct an investigation into who was financially responsible for the groups behind the violent protests.
“The FBI is investigating any and all monetary connections responsible for these riots,” Patel told Just the News.
One such organization found to be a significant financial resource for protesters in LA is The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, an organization that focuses on helping illegal immigrants avoid deportation. Through government grants and other sources, the organization has received millions of taxpayer dollars, according to a Washington Examiner investigation.
Though it has been identified as one of the prominent organizers of the protests in LA, the group has denied its involvement in any of the past weekend’s demonstrations, aside from a rally it held on Thursday.
WHO IS FUNDING THE ANTI-ICE ACTIVISTS IN LA?
Here are some of the other activist groups that have been involved in the LA protests this past weekend.
Unión del Barrio
Unión del Barrio is one of the groups that took part in the LA protests over the weekend.
“We see this as an attack against our people,” said Ron Gochez, a member of the group and one of the protest organizers, in an interview with Democracy Now!. “That’s why you see young people, the community coming out and resisting this repression.”
Gochez defended his group’s efforts to remain in its “indigenous” land, drawing comparisons to the situation in Gaza. Though he spoke against using violence, Gochez described how people “combated” in the streets against Border Patrol agents for several hours, eventually succeeding in forcing them and other law enforcement officers to retreat and letting workers escape.
“That is one clear sign that if we organize ourselves, if we resist, we can defend our communities from ICE terror, from the border patrol, or from any federal agency that wishes to separate our families,” Gochez said.
Unión del Barrio is a group that seeks to fight for “la raza,” which represents all Latin American immigrants looking to build lives for themselves in the United States. The term originated from the Chicano Movement in the U.S. in the 1970s, which sought to elect the first Latinos to public office in the country, according to Colorado Public Radio.
The group is made up of volunteers who pay membership dues. Along with fundraising efforts and donations from the community, the group claims it is entirely self-financed, according to its website.
National Day Laborer Organizing Network
The National Day Laborer Organizing Network is another group that was protesting in LA over the weekend. Pablo Alvarado, the group’s co-executive director, has condemned the violence, arguing it can get its message across without physically harming anyone.
“Every time that there’s violence, the most vulnerable communities pay the price,” Alvarado said in a statement to CNN. “Every time that there are riots, we see the business of low-income communities get burned down.”
The NDLON’s mission is to support day laborers, migrants, and low-wage workers, according to its website. The organization aims to create an environment that fosters “respect, peace, harmony and justice,” with an emphasis on nonviolent methods.
The group is listed as a 501(c)(3) public charity on its website, funded entirely by donations.
Party for Socialism and Liberation
The Party for Socialism and Liberation is another group that has been involved in the weekend protests. As President Donald Trump mobilized the National Guard over the weekend, the group declared that it would not be discouraged.
“This could be a turning point where the entire working class unites to push back Trump’s efforts to shred our basic rights and dignity,” the group wrote in an Instagram post on Sunday.
The group is made up of self-identified Marxists who claim to support the working class and “oppressed” people resisting capitalism, according to its website. It advocates the overturning of capitalism to replace it with a socialist society, claiming that several issues facing the world today can all be traced back to capitalism.
LA IMMIGRATION RIOTS: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE PROTESTS, TRUMP’S RESPONSE, AND MORE
Along with claiming the presence of “rampant” police brutality in LA, the group also called for a “socialist revolution,” arguing that “revolution is a necessity and a right.”
The group reportedly has ties to the Singham Network, a collection of nonprofit organizations connected to Neville Roy Singham, an American businessman who lives in China and is friendly with the Chinese Communist Party, according to Just the News.