Los Angeles, a city known for its rich and powerful residents, has become the main target of President Donald Trump's latest immigration crackdown. The reasons lie in LA's diverse and complex population.

Los Angeles County, which stretches across 4,000 square miles of Southern California, includes not just LA city but also places like Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Long Beach, Malibu, Pasadena, and Santa Monica. The county is home to nearly 10 million people, about 27% of California’s population.

According to U.S. Census data, about one-third of the people living in this area were born in other countries. The city of Los Angeles itself has around 3.9 million residents, and over 35% of them were born outside the United States.

A study by the University of Southern California Dornsife in 2020 estimated that nearly 900,000 undocumented immigrants live in the city, many of them have been in the U.S. for more than 10 years. One in every five people in LA lives in a mixed-status household, which means at least one family member is undocumented.

LA’s population includes over 1.8 million Hispanic or Latino residents, nearly half a million Asians, Native Hawaiians, or Pacific Islanders. More than 1.15 million people identify as “some other race,” and over half a million say they belong to two or more races. Also, more than 56% of people in the city speak a language other than English at home, most commonly, Spanish.

This mix of races, backgrounds, and immigration statuses makes the city especially impacted by the Trump administration’s strict immigration measures.

What sparked the LA Protests?

The protests started on Friday after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers carried out raids in neighborhoods with large Latino communities. Dozens of people were arrested during these operations. Authorities claimed the arrests targeted illegal migrants and gang members.

In response, angry residents gathered in the streets, shouting and throwing eggs. Police used pepper spray and nonlethal weapons to clear the crowds. The protests have continued for five straight days and have now spread from downtown LA to nearby suburbs like Paramount, which also has a large Latino population.

To handle the unrest, the Trump administration sent in about 700 Marines and over 4,000 National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area. This large military presence has only led to more protests and raised concerns among Democratic leaders, who are warning of authoritarian tactics.

Since his return to the White House in January, President Trump has promised to carry out record-breaking deportations and tighten control at the U.S.-Mexico border. He has set a goal of at least 3,000 immigration arrests every day.

Now, Los Angeles finds itself in the middle of this storm, not just because of politics, but because of the people who call it home.

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