Frantz Fanon says that all the native knows is that the colonizer, the oppressor, can come into their spaces to harass, beat, kidnap and kill them. And there is no one who comes to help, either during these brutal attacks or to bring relief afterwards. This is reality unless there is a broad fightback based in solidarity against the common enemy.

Right now, from coast to coast, populations find themselves subject to these beatings, kidnappings and killings. Across the country, immigrant communities, along with Indigenous communities, find themselves under attack by ICE agents. 

These modern slave catchers and lynch mobs attack men, women and children when they are most vulnerable. They destroy the sanctuary and peace of schools, churches, hospitals, offices, work sites and homes in the name of white supremacy and to maintain the colonial occupation of these communities. 

These roaming gangs hide their identities, dressing in plain clothes, wearing masks and sunglasses, to instill fear in the communities they target. This deception extends to their vehicles. Unmarked cars and trucks lurk on the roads alongside those of workers and people simply trying to live their lives.

As these fascist attacks escalate, communities are finding ways to keep themselves safe and fight back against ICE. Patrols and direct action to bust up ICE operations are methods that have proven successful in hindering the slave catchers trying to meet their quotas. These tactics – forms of community self-defense – pave the way for communities to be able to maintain their own safety without the need of police agencies, which ultimately prove incapable of doing anything but assisting in the occupation and oppression of the communities they are supposedly protecting. 

There is a sentiment that the fight against ICE is not a fight that Black communities should take up in the Belly of the Beast. There are many reasons why this state-sponsored opinion and narrative are false and ultimately damaging to the struggle of Black Liberation in the United States. Firstly, Black immigrants are being deported at a higher rate than other POC and white counterparts. 

Next, this idea that “well, they voted for it to happen” does nothing but further divide the working class of this country when we really need to work together. That sentiment upholds the colonial domination of both Black and Brown communities and does the state’s job of divide and conquer based on race. 

Also, these ICE attacks on immigrants have resulted in the kidnapping and disappearance of U.S. citizens simply because they “looked” like immigrants. This sets a dangerous precedent that will ultimately lead to these modern lynch mobs descending upon Black citizens and anyone they may deem fit for deportation. 

Finally, the tactics employed by ICE are similar to the tactics employed by police departments to occupy and torment Black communities across the country.

In Baltimore City, Black neighborhoods are in constant contact with the occupying forces. Over 80% of Baltimore City officers live outside of the city and use their racist understandings of the city to enforce white supremacy in a predominantly Black city. These officers, and, by extension, city leadership, view Black communities as inherently “high crime.” This designation leads to police following rules of engagement similar to those of the occupying U.S. grunt in Iraq or Afghanistan and the Israeli Occupation Soldier in occupied Palestine, Syria and Lebanon. 

Recently, Baltimore Police have carried out killings of Black men under the “need” to remove guns and armed individuals from the streets. Under the guise of “public safety,” these orders erase the ability of the Black community to defend itself from attacks in the future. Across the country, violent crime is declining, yet police departments repetitively say they do not have enough officers to police their areas. 

The decline in violent crime is not related to good policing but reflects a cultural shift in communities to squash longstanding beefs to find a sense of unity against the continued attacks by the state on their friends and family. In Baltimore City, there have been multiple police murders of Black citizens, justified because they “fit the description of an armed individual.” 

Some notable deaths include the killings of the 17-year-old father, William Gardner, on Aug. 5, 2024; 54-year-old Robert Phillip Nedd Jr., on Oct. 9, 2024; 26-year-old Jai Marc Howell on May 12, 2025; and recently the brutal execution of beloved arabber Bilal “BJ” Abdullah Jr. on June 17, 2025.

In each of these murders, the police announced that they would shoot and kill the men — no calls for de-escalation, no justice or trial, just straight to execution.

These killings and attacks on the ability for Black communities to defend themselves coincide with the attacks by other sections of the city government and private developers to displace Black communities in the name of gentrification. 

The Black community in Baltimore is approaching a crossroads. The capitalist class will continue down its path to remove us and return us to slavery. Black and Brown immigrants are being deported to concentration camps out of the country, and our citizen Black brothers and sisters are killed or locked up. The time has come for the oppressed and working-class people of Baltimore to stand up to occupation, injustice, and apartheid – just like the Black Panthers of the 1960s-70s, the masses during the rebellions against police brutality from 2014-2020, the city of Los Angeles battling against occupation and slave catchers today in 2025, and the historic Palestinian Resistance fighting extinction at the hands of Zionism to this day.

All Power to the People!
Down with Occupation!
Up with Liberation!
Long Live oppressed and working people!
Long Live Baltimore!
Rest in Power to all Martyrs of U.S. Imperialism!
Long Live International Solidarity!

On June 14, over 6 million people across the United States marched as part of the “No Kings” day call to action against Donald Trump. One of the largest “No Kings” demonstrations took place in Los Angeles, California. The crowd swelled to over 200,000 people at its height, but tens of thousands remained downtown demonstrating into the evening. 

No Kings in L.A. began in the wake of a week-long rebellion by the broader Los Angeles community against ICE raids and mass deportations. Tired of fascist terror against their communities, Angelinos confronted the federal and local police forces responsible for enforcing Trump’s fascist, xenophobic agenda. For days, militant demonstrations shut down downtown Los Angeles and caused substantial disruption throughout Los Angeles County. 

Throughout this struggle, Struggle-La Lucha writers and Harriet Tubman Center activists were on the ground at the various demonstrations, not only to cover the community’s rebellion against racism but also to be in solidarity with that rebellion. This was no different on No Kings Day. The Harriet Tubman Center was in attendance at not only the L.A. No Kings demonstration, but also the “Queers Against Deportations” march and rally in West Hollywood.

L.A.’s No Kings Day demonstration saw a convergence of working-class forces. A substantial portion of the crowd was demonstrably Democratic Party aligned in outlook. This group’s signs and slogans were more likely to focus on constitutional issues, such as executive overreach and due process. A significantly larger portion of the crowd consisted of various Latinx, immigrant, Black, and working-class communities that had been in the streets all week. 

The overwhelming message of the crowd was still to end the ICE raids, end the military occupation of L.A., and end Trump’s anti-immigrant policies. As the day progressed, the crowd’s size shrank but its militancy grew. The community wanted to continue to march through downtown with their anti-ICE slogans and Mexican flags. Mayor Karen Bass, the LAPD, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department felt otherwise. 

In response to the continued demonstrations from the community late into the day, the fascist LAPD created roadblocks and began advancing columns of heavily armoured riot police at the protestors. As the protesters refused to back down, the LAPD escalated with dangerous crowd control weapons like tear gas, flash bang grenades, pepper balls, and rubber bullets. Mounted police also began beating random demonstrators with nightsticks. The LAPD acted this way even though many children and families remained at the demonstrations. Mothers were seen covering their children’s eyes and ears as the LAPD deployed flash bangs and tear gas canisters into the crowd.

The working class, and particularly the Latinx community, is under siege in Los Angeles and across this country. These communities are facing Gestapo-tier violence, and they are justified in their complete and utter resistance. Fascism has no validity because it is simply another capitalist ideology. Capitalism has no validity because it is the ideology of only a few billionaires, and the only true social validity can come from the masses of workers. 

Oppressed and working-class communities were justified when they defended themselves at No Kings Day from LAPD provocation. Those same communities were justified when they rebelled against Gestapo deportations that tore families apart. 

The role of revolutionaries and all progressives has to be to stand alongside these communities when they rebel against racism and then organize for working-class power once the rebellion is over. That is why Struggle-La Lucha and the Harriet Tubman Center were on the ground in Los Angeles on No Kings Day and beyond. 

All progressive organizations must come to the defense of and be in solidarity with working-class communities that find themselves in fascism’s sights. 

Baltimore activists were busy throughout the weekend with Pride, “No Kings,” and anti-war actions. Here are some highlights. 

June 15, St. Rose, Louisiana — Right now, people are posted up at the St. Rose office of BI Incorporated, standing up for immigrants after organizers with Unión Migrante put out a call.

BI is a surveillance company tracking immigrants for ICE. The private prison corporation GEO Group acquired it in 2011. The government uses BI to run its Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP) to monitor immigrants, all part of the vast web of private contractors — including tech giants — making big bucks off government repression.

This local BI office sent out messages at 8:00 last night to a lot of people, ordering them to show up for a Father’s Day check-in. This was highly unusual, according to organizers familiar with BI. They said the office isn’t open on Sundays and immigration lawyers normally wouldn’t be working. Plus, it’s Father’s Day. 

Suspecting an ICE sting, they called for the community to show up for defense. Several children were among those who showed up. They weren’t passively attending with family. They created their signs on site and discussed ICE and immigration. 

Despite the anticipated blitz, witnesses said the office only managed to process one person this morning. He was seen going through the front entrance, but his current whereabouts are unknown. It’s possible that he was driven out from the back of the building to an ICE facility in New Orleans or elsewhere. 

Since the community came out, operations appear to be shut down. Throughout the day, some immigrants who had received messages through the BI group’s app came to the office but found it locked up. 

This fits a pattern seen in Los Angeles and elsewhere. ICE Nazis are like cockroaches operating in the shadows. When you shine light on them, they scatter. 

Actually, I respect roaches, as all life holds intrinsic value. They are ancient, resilient creatures, part of the evolution of life in nature.

ICE and its affiliates, on the other hand, serve no purpose except to divide up and repress the working class. They do this on behalf of the filthy rich oligarchs like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. We don’t need them. This whole deportation and detention apparatus drags us all down. 

Consider that 75% of Trump’s “big beautiful bill” is for the military, ICE, and other violent, repressive entities. Meanwhile, they’re cutting health care and anything that meets people’s needs. Here’s the “waste and abuse” we should be worried about!

Every dollar spent to deport our immigrant siblings is a dollar that could feed a hungry child. Every dollar spent to bomb people in Gaza is a dollar that could house our seniors, who are homeless in record numbers. We don’t need these deportations, and sure as hell don’t need war on Iran! 

Wherever we were born, let’s stand together, because our enemies are the same.

Up with the people!
Down with Trump!
Down with ICE!
Free, free Palestine! 

In May, the Struggle for Socialism Party (SSP) Los Angeles branch discussed the new book, “Against fascism: reclaiming populism’s legacy for today’s class struggle,” compiled by Louisiana socialist Gregory Williams. 

Following is part two of a presentation for the series of classes, given by John Parker on May 10. He is an organizer with SSP, the Harriet Tubman Center for Social Justice, and the Community Self Defense Coalition, which is confronting ICE on the ground in Los Angeles. The section of the book discussed in this presentation focuses on the 1991 Louisiana gubernatorial campaign of former Ku Klux Klan (KKK) leader David Duke. 

Click here to follow the Harriet Tubman Center on Instagram, X, and Facebook, or donate to the center via Cash App, Venmo, and Patreon. 

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• Part 1: They blame immigrants while corporations steal billions — sound familiar?

In 1991, David Duke was called a populist. Now, Trump is being called a populist. Neither of them is offering anything to empower the working class. We know from the Communist Manifesto that there are irreconcilable differences between the ruling class and the working class. But many academics will tell you that populists are fascists – they’re this, they’re that, but no, that’s not true.

That’s not the history of populism. Populism is another word for “peopleism.” That’s the definition used by the original populists. Is a Nazi a person of the people? Well, what people are you talking about? Because Nazis aren’t for Black folks. They’re not for our immigrant siblings. We need clarity because when they try to deny you the history of a word, they’re also trying to deny the reality that’s going on.

Another thing from this reading that jumped out is how the fascists promise to “drain the swamp,” that they’re going to get rid of all the corruption and entrenched power. Duke said this. He said he’s for the working person, he’s trying to stop the privileged folks.

And what does Trump say? He says he’s going to drain the swamp, drain the swamp of the privileged folks. He doesn’t like to say corporate folks or anything, but the privileged folks in government who are against the working people. He’s going to drain the swamp. But look what he did when he went into office – Trump and Elon Musk. Musk’s got the information to steal Social Security. And he’s pocketed so much in profits with SpaceX and everything. 

Here’s another thing. When Duke was running for governor, he wasn’t able to defeat the other candidate, Edwin Edwards. Edwards wasn’t a fascist, but he didn’t have anything to offer, either. There were economic problems – the wage problems, the theft of the people’s money in the treasury, with corporate subsidies and giveaways, the taxes that were not being taken from the rich, all the ways that they were impoverishing the working class.

But the Democrats didn’t have an answer, just like today. Kamala Harris and Joe Biden didn’t have an answer for stopping the theft. The military is taking all the money away from health care and all those kinds of things.  They didn’t have an answer for that, and that’s one of the reasons Kamala Harris lost.

Even though Duke didn’t win, he came close. That was because the Democrats didn’t have an answer for what was going on – the economic crisis, the systemic problems. They didn’t want to have an answer for that. 

You know, when you talk about Ukraine, it’s interesting, the Democrats want to act like the saviors of self-determination for the people and freedom for the Ukrainian people, when the fact is that they were cooperating with BlackRock and others to subjugate and loot Ukraine. They’re enabling fascism. And maybe they take it a little bit slower as they take over the wealth, the grains, all the stuff from Ukraine, privatizing it, and then taking it for U.S. monopoly capitalism. 

Then Trump wins, and he does it much faster. And it’s funny how they’re calling him a populist. But other folks might look at the situation and think the Democrats are more like populists, because they’re supposed to be for the working class, and aren’t as overt in plundering Ukraine. But in fact, they weren’t for the working class or Ukrainian people.

Trump is really bad because he’s not for the Ukrainian people, either. In fact, he’s worse. And like he said about Gaza, “it’s mine.” He’s trying to take over the land and capital, like in Ukraine. He’s doing it at a much faster pace. 

As for the white supremacy in Ukraine, people say, “well, that’s not white supremacy, they’re both white, right?” No. Hitler had a name for the people who were supposed to be inferior – maybe even not people, maybe animals – and in Ukraine, they call the Russian-speaking Ukrainians that. That includes the people in the eastern Donbass region. This is also white supremacy.

After the 2014 U.S.-backed coup, the Ukrainian government (now represented by Zelensky) passed a law restricting the use of the Russian language in state affairs and trying to drive it out of community life. And they’ve criminalized being in a communist or socialist organization. So, anyway, the racism, the fascist ideology of white supremacy, the Democrats have pushed that in spades in Ukraine. 

The Democrats aren’t going to stop fascism in this country or anywhere else. It’s going to take the workers to stop fascism. They’re not going to stop the genocide in Gaza. They’ve orchestrated it, and Biden passed the baton right on to Trump. 

The Democrats are serving a purpose for the monopolies. What they’re afraid of isn’t fascism. They’re afraid of socialism and communism. And in the 1960s, when things were going on the rise, it was harder for George Wallace and other fascist folks to carry out their aims. The Civil Rights and other movements pushed them back. 

But it was also because of the international situation. There was the Soviet Union and revolutionary China, and they were helping to liberate Africa. These socialist countries provided military and other forms of support to the African liberation struggles. Two-thirds of Africa was liberated. 

The ruling class, the Democrats, and Republicans – they’re still very afraid of what socialist countries can do, or what the socialist movement can do. So, the Democrats act like they’re against fascism, but they’re enabling it now. It will take a strong movement of the working class to defeat it.

It’s hard. You look at the news, and you’re just depressed about all the horrible stuff going on. Just look at Gaza, and everything Trump does, you think, “How can he get away with this?” He’s pardoning all these folks. He’s pardoned assassins of Black folks, cops who’ve killed, and so you’re seeing this stuff, you’re like, “How can this happen? I don’t know what to do.”

But there’s a lot of organizing going on. Usually, it’s not talked about in any meaningful way in the corporate media, but the Community Self-Defense Coalition is being talked about. German and Japanese media came to talk about it. They found out about a lot of this from the Struggle-La Lucha newspaper. 

But the interest right now, I mean, just today we had a large meeting, and a lot of people are new. The organization went from 60-something, and now it’s about 80 organizations. And it’s got functioning committees: patrol committee, outreach committee, fundraising committee. It’s become very organized, very serious, and we’ve seen ICE folks get chased away.

So it’s a real threat. It shows that there’s a consciousness that just hasn’t gone away, in spite of all the attacks and the economy on the decline. We’re seeing more and more people come back and talk about trying to get involved. It’s a hopeful time, and that’s why I’m glad this book was written. We can get the history straight and get our plans and ideological orientation together. But the most important thing is to join an organization. And hopefully join a socialist organization – and hopefully the Struggle for Socialism Party. 

In May, the Struggle for Socialism Party (SSP) Los Angeles branch discussed the new book, “Against fascism: reclaiming populism’s legacy for today’s class struggle,” compiled by Louisiana socialist Gregory Williams. 

Following is a presentation for the series of classes, given by John Parker on May 10. He is an organizer with SFSP, the Harriet Tubman Center for Social Justice, and the Community Self-Defense Coalition, which is confronting ICE on the ground in Los Angeles.

Click here to follow the Harriet Tubman Center on Instagram, X, and Facebook, or donate to the center via Cash App, Venmo, and Patreon. 

BUY BOOK NOW  |  FREE PDF

Straight line from David Duke to Elon Musk’s Nazi salute

Today we had a big Community Self-Defense Coalition meeting. It was really good. About 71 people were here, and it went a little bit longer than usual. So, I’m just going to get right into it. 

I really enjoyed reading the section of the book, “Straight line from David Duke to Elon Musk’s Nazi salute.” The parallels really hit you. Like it says, it’s a straight line. But it’s also a straight line to Trump, to the fascists, and what’s going on right now. And it’s just amazing.

The political perspective that came from Sam Marcy was very helpful and unique to communist, socialist tendencies, putting the national question in the front, as well as understanding imperialism – especially U.S. imperialism – imperialism versus non-imperialist countries. Marcy’s analysis really shows the importance of being a part of the anti-imperialist struggle and being in solidarity with the nations fighting against imperialism.

And Sam Marcy, in the writings in this section, talked about what was going on in 1991, when former Klan leader David Duke was running for governor in Louisiana. And it just seems like Sam Marcy had a crystal ball in terms of what’s going on today, and how fascism is being used, and the context of the working-class struggle right now.

And he talks a lot about the differences between 1991 and the 1960s and 1970s, when other fascist folks like George Wallace and Lester Maddox were running for office. These folks were also fascists, but they were going upstream in terms of what was going on in the 1960s.

At that time, the movement was on the rise: the Civil Rights and other movements fighting against racism, the union struggles, the working-class struggles. So Wallace and Maddox were fighting that tide, and they weren’t as successful.

Economic conditions and fascism

That was more of a defensive use of fascism. But in the case of Duke in 1991, the situation for the workers was a lot worse. The economy was going down. Wages, health care, everything was going down. 

And it was easy to see who the enemy was: the corporations and the monopolies that were causing so much pain. But if you’re not political, you’re wondering, “Why am I suffering like this?” And if somebody comes along and they’re eloquent, and they give you somebody to hate and blame, they can divert you from the real struggle. They use racism, which is one of the main props of U.S. capitalism and imperialism.

And when you push fascism during a crisis, like Hitler did, you can be successful; you can divert people. And even if the corporations and banks don’t support you right away, they’ll eventually come around, like they did with Hitler. So, Duke was much more successful. He didn’t win the governorship, but he was much more successful in breaking through. 

His appeal went international, getting a lot further because of the context of what was going on. And that’s why Trump is so dangerous right now, because his appeal is coming at a time when our standard of living is going down – health care, wages, everything is just going down.

Current conditions and Trump’s takeover

It was a lot different for our generation or my parents’ generation, where many working-class people could get a house. Now, many people can’t even get a house. Union membership is also down. With these conditions, Trump and other fascist figures can say, “Okay, it’s the immigrants, it’s the migrants that are doing all this stuff.” That’s why we have to push back. 

The Democratic Party is also enabling this. They’re complicit. They’re not fighting. In fact, Biden, Obama, and other Democrats enabled it by attacking and deporting migrants. Obama’s record of formal detention hasn’t been broken. 

So, they set up the situation, and then Trump went and took it over from there. And now he’s just a blatant fascist. And you see Elon Musk with the Nazi salute and things like that. They’re kidnapping and torturing people. 

And it’s just unbelievable. And you think about the Gaza war and what they’re doing. Something like 14,000 children are due to die – starve to death. Babies are due to starve to death soon because of the United States and Israel.

But that’s why it’s so dangerous right now, when the economy is in decline, when people are looking for answers. Trump is a very dangerous individual. So, one of the main things I got from these readings is that the role of these fascists is to distract. From Hitler to Duke to Trump to Elon Musk, their role is to distract.

So, of course, they’re going to vilify people and use racist scapegoating. They vilify Palestinians, Iranians, and Chinese people. That’s their role, but they also make appeals to workers, promising to help their situation. They make promises, but they don’t deliver. They just cause destruction. 

Trump’s already doing it, right? He promises this, he promises that, and then you see what he’s really doing. He’s going to take away your Social Security, he’s going to take all these things away.

Corporate welfare and migrant exploitation

There is something from Sam Marcy’s writings in this book. He quotes one of the senators exposing corporate welfare. I mean, the fascists tell you, “Oh, it’s the welfare cheats, they’re taking your money away. The immigrants and migrants are taking the money away.”

Of course, that’s not true. Especially immigrant communities – migrant communities who are forced to pay taxes and don’t get any kind of benefit from that. They just get exploited. I’m just going to read from this.

“Nobody was more eloquent in describing how big business has brought about the real welfare system in the United States than the former Majority Leader and Whip from Louisiana, Senator Russell Long. In April 1967, he told  the Senate:

“Most campaign money comes from businessmen. … Many businessmen contribute to legislators who have voted to exempt their businesses from the minimum wage. Businessmen contribute to legislators who have fought against taxes that would have been burdensome to their businesses. … Power company officials contribute to legislators who vote against public power. … Bankers, insurance company executives, big moneylenders generally contribute to legislators who vote for policies that lead to high interest rates.

“Many large companies benefit from research and development contracts which carry a guaranteed profit. … In recent years, quite a battle has developed over the desire of government research contractors to obtain and keep lush private monopoly patent rights on those things discovered with billions of dollars of government research money. The possibility of windfall profits in this area defies imagination. …

“Drug companies are often able to sell brand-name drug products at anywhere from twice to 50 times the price of identical nonbranded products for welfare and Medicare patients. … 

“Executives of drug companies will contribute to legislators who vote to permit or bring about such a result.

“Executives of regulated companies contribute to legislators who vote to go easy on the regulation. …

“Many industries are subsidized. This includes the merchant marine, the ship builders, the sugar producers, the copper producers, and a host of others. …

“This list is merely illustrative; it could be elaborated upon and enlarged to include many more.”

And then Sam Marcy adds, “All this welfare for the rich corporations that run Louisiana, but has Duke ever told it like it is? Has he ever tried to mobilize the workers against these rich corporate criminals who thrive off government welfare?”

That’s what Sam Marcy was writing in 1991, and we see that, whoa, 50 times isn’t enough for how much these pharmaceutical companies are ripping off the workers nowadays!

To be continued. 

STAY IN THE STREETS!
SAY NO TO THE CURFEW!

ICE, National Guard, Marines and LAPD End the Occupation

Out of Los Angeles Now!

The military occupation of Los Angeles is illegal. The people of Los Angeles have a right to defend our neighbors, friends and loved ones against masked Gestapo ICE agents who are kidnapping and ripping families apart at random.
What has happened in our streets has been falsely framed not only by Donald Trump and Stephen Miller, but even our local politicians, who need to stand up against military occupation.
We call on Mayor Karen Bass to rescind the curfew and allow the people of Los Angeles to protest. As such, we cannot recognize the curfew, and in the tradition of the civil rights movement, we call for continued mass resistance and organizing.
The Harriet Tubman Center for Social Justice and the Struggle for Socialism Party will continue to stay in the streets until the occupation ends.

Harriet Tubman Center for Social Justice

Follow us on Instagram @Harriet Tubman Center – Facebook @Harriet TubmanCenterforSocialJustice

Large-scale demonstrations have swept across the United States against Trump’s mass deportation ICE raids, and the broader police and military repression. Mass rallies took place in major cities across the country, including New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Boston, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Louisville, Atlanta, Chicago, Milwaukee, Denver, San Francisco, Seattle and many more and in at least a half dozen Texas cities — Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and others.

In Baltimore on June 9, hundreds of people filled the downtown streets to show solidarity with Los Angeles protesters and to demand ICE out of Baltimore and Los Angeles.  Speakers and shouts from participants demanded “ICE Out of Everywhere!”  

The action was part of regular Monday protests held in front of the Federal Courthouse and Detention Center, initiated by #EyesOnICE. The local protest grew in size and scope following the repression in Los Angeles by ICE, police and National Guard.

Here is a short clip of a speaker at McKeldin Plaza before protesters marched to the federal detention center.  

Additionally, over 30 protests were held across the country in support of David Huerta, president of SEIU California, who was arrested during a workplace immigration raid on June 6 and released on June 9. Huerta, who confronted ICE at a workplace incursion, was charged with federal conspiracy to impede an officer, which carries a six-year prison term.

Los Angeles, June 9 — For three straight days, furious protests rocked Los Angeles as federal ICE gangs terrorized working-class communities. Sunday saw the largest crowds yet, reflecting mounting outrage among broader layers of the population.

President Donald Trump branded Los Angeles a city in “state of rebellion” and federalized the National Guard, ordering 2,000 troops into the city. Within 24 hours, he escalated further — announcing the deployment of 700 Marines to LA’s oppressed communities. The country’s second-largest city now sits under military occupation.

ICE has been rampaging across L.A., snatching up workers in mass raids — and this may only be the beginning of what is to come throughout the country. 

Sources say the raids are expected to continue for a month — at least that may be the plan by the fascists in the White House. But, as has happened so many times throughout history, the capitalist rulers seem to have underestimated the resolve of the working class. 

This began last week, when Trump’s fascist Deputy Chief of Staff, Stephen Miller, ordered ICE gangs to carry out Trump’s demands and triple the number of detentions of undocumented workers compared to earlier this year.  

In response, ICE shifted from mainly kidnapping smaller numbers from their homes or on the streets to raiding workplaces and waiting outside immigration courts. They are now kidnapping much larger numbers at a time. 

Families are being ripped apart as the raids and arrests have spiked, and entire neighborhoods have hit the streets in a courageous defense against the escalating workplace invasions. 

Community resistance erupts across the city

The anger throughout the city is palpable, and the protests over the last several days have drawn throngs of people, both from L.A.’s migrant communities and their supporters. On Friday, June 6, thousands faced off against ICE agents aided by Los Angeles cops for hours, enduring tear gas, rubber bullets and flash bang grenades as the new Gestapo tried to break up a protest at the downtown L.A. Federal Detention Center. The LAPD is, by law, prohibited from assisting ICE in any of its activities, a law they’ve blatantly defied.

Another standoff lasted all day long near a Home Depot in the town of Paramount and also in Compton on Saturday. In Paramount, the sky was filled with tear gas and smoke from fires lit in the street by protesters. Late in the day, ICE vehicles were pelted with rocks as their caravan was chased out. 

On Sunday, the Detention Center became the epicenter again, with tens of thousands in a standoff with ICE and the police agencies that are illegally aiding the racist attacks. Many thousands marched and blocked the 101 freeway in a spectacular demonstration of solidarity with the victims of this reactionary rampage.  

For three days now, protesters have been sprayed with tear gas, and some have been seriously injured by projectiles from the gas canisters and flash bang grenades, but they’ve kept coming back. They’ve hurled debris back at the secret federal police agents who had plenty of protective gear. They’ve yelled and chanted, refusing LAPD orders to disperse. Anti-ICE and anti-Trump graffiti are now visible on the walls of numerous government buildings in the Civic Center area of downtown Los Angeles. 

The brave responses of people in L.A.’s communities have been similar to those in the Boston area, Minneapolis, San Diego, Chicago, Seattle, and other communities in recent weeks. Now, the anger has simply exploded on a much larger scale. 

Trump declares ‘state of rebellion’

The repressive forces of the capitalist state are momentarily caught off guard by widespread anger and by the people’s determination to stop the fascist abductions and deportations. The U.S. ruling class appears to be confused and possibly even at odds with each other over how to respond. 

L.A. is supposed to be a sanctuary city – the claim is that none of the local police agencies are supposed to aid ICE operations. But, L.A. County Sheriffs and LAPD have been conducting a war against the community to try to clear out protesters from the communities. 

The brass from both agencies say that they’re not helping ICE operations, but if ICE agents claim to be in danger, the LAPD joins in attacking the communities. Clearly, sanctuary claims are a smokescreen. Local police forces arrested nearly 60 people on Friday and Saturday.

ICE detained 118 workers on immigration charges over the same two days, including SEIU California President David Huerta. He required hospitalization after being knocked to the ground by ICE agents and hitting his head on a curb. Huerta faces federal charges of obstructing access to a worksite.

As important Democratic Party figures, California Governor Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass are saying they are in opposition to Trump and his fascist gangs. Both raised objections to the raids in the press. Newsom went so far as to dare DHS leader Tom Homan to arrest him. 

But as Ron Gochez pointed out on “Democracy Now” on June 9, Newsom is still ostensibly in charge of the state’s National Guard.  

Gochez told listeners, “Talk is cheap. Gov. Newsom can order the National Guard to stand down and has not done so. Here in Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass is saying she is against the raids, well, why are her police officers aiding and collaborating with ICE to attack the community? … Those rubber bullets and the gas they’re shooting are aimed at the wrong people. They should be aimed at the agents who are trying to kidnap the people in our community.”

Coalition builds community defense network

Gochez is a leading member of Unión del Barrio, which initiated the broad Community Self-Defense Coalition. Over 80 organizations participate in weekly meetings to strategize, help to organize protests, and importantly, patrol the streets to spot ICE agents preparing for raids. 

When community patrols spot ICE vehicles, they go to work warning workers and handing out literature to advise people of their legal rights, which may help them step away from being abducted by ICE. When they encounter an ICE operation as it is happening, they use sound equipment to project their voices and let would-be victims know that, without a warrant, ICE is not legally allowed to enter a home or a workplace. 

The reach of the coalition’s strategy is expanding week by week. A group of activists from Ventura County – 60 miles to the north of L.A. – that has been in touch with CSDC leaders, prevented deportations when a factory worker they had been in touch with refused to let ICE agents into the Oxnard, California, factory and turned them away. 

Much of the U.S. media is now clucking its collective tongue to shame protesters over “violent” protests. They may be referring to several self-driving taxis that were torched, harming no one. So far, the violence has been from ICE and the police.

Gochez ended the Democracy Now interview with an answer to the self-righteous condemnations when he closed the show by saying, “The Trump administration is trying to make an example of Los Angeles, which is the heart of the Mexican and Central American community in the U.S. We cannot afford to fail. The resistance will continue. We will be peaceful when we can, but when we face violence, we have every right to defend ourselves.”

A very public and escalating feud has unfolded between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who until recently served as Trump’s head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The feud went public when Musk fiercely criticized Trump’s signature fiscal plan — the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”

The public clash between Trump and Musk lays bare the deepening fractures within the ruling class. While these billionaires battle over how to manage the turmoil, their real conflict isn’t about principles — but over which faction of the oligarchy will dictate.  

Behind the spectacle of personal insults and retaliatory threats lies a fundamental agreement: that workers must bear the brunt of austerity, wage cuts, and gutted social programs. The dispute is over how aggressively to push the agenda — and who stands to benefit most from it.  

A symptom of systemic decay

As the ruling class fights over tax breaks, tariffs, government contracts and how much to cut social services, the real crisis — the exploitation and immiserization of the vast majority — continues unchecked. Their feud is not a break in the system, but a symptom of its decay.

Musk officially departed the Trump administration last Friday, marking the end of his role as a “special government employee” overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an agency that spearheaded attacks on federal workers and the dismantling of entire government departments and services.

In interviews and social media posts, Musk condemned Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” which would extend tax cuts for the wealthy and further gut social programs. While Musk did not object to the tax cuts — unsurprising given his vast fortune — he criticized the bill for its excessive “pork,” meaning not deep enough cuts in social services.  

Trump threatened to retaliate against Musk by canceling billions in federal contracts, which coincided with a dramatic 14% drop in Tesla’s stock, resulting in a $34 billion loss for Musk, the largest single-day loss on record. Trump also withdrew the nomination of Jared Isaacman, a Musk ally, to lead NASA — another blow to Musk’s influence over lucrative government contracts.

Economic instability fuels the feud

The dispute touches on broader economic instability. 

The U.S. economy contracted more sharply than initially reported in early 2025, with economic output per person falling 0.7% as businesses stockpiled goods ahead of expected tariffs. It’s the first economic contraction (as measured by GDP per capita) since 2022, but the situation was worse than the headline numbers suggested. In plain English, this means that conditions are declining for the working class, and people are getting poorer. 

Musk has also attacked Trump’s tariff policies, which threaten both his own corporate empire — deeply dependent on Chinese markets and supply chains — and the broader global operations of U.S. finance capital. The business press has focused on the surge in gold prices and the weakening U.S. dollar, developments that risk destabilizing Wall Street and the U.S.-dominated global financial system.  

Ruling class infighting goes public

Since Trump launched his April 2 “Liberation Day” tariff bomb, the world financial markets crashed, the bond market panicked, and the price of gold soared, the dollar weakened, all leading to a political crisis. Additionally, a cycle of capitalist overproduction, leading to recession, is developing in the background.

Trump immediately pulled back on the tariffs, though only partially. But the internecine fight within the ruling class began then, as Trump appeared to be failing, driving the country toward economic chaos and possible collapse. That fight has now spilled into the open; it’s not just Trump and Musk. It’s only going to get worse unless there’s a mass working-class upsurge, maybe a general strike to shut them down.