Maxine Waters Sparks LA Clash
Rep. Maxine Waters showed up at a protest outside the ICE detention center in Los Angeles. Things escalated fast. Police and federal agents moved in. Scores of people were arrested. A dumpster was set on fire. Officers used pepper rounds and nonlethal munitions to push back.
Videos of the scene circulated on social media. Several clips show Waters at the front of the crowd. She was chanting and urging protesters to hold their ground. At one point she returned to the front wearing a mask after pepper spray was deployed.
Here are the videos posted from the scene:
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https://x.com/anthonycabassa/status/2017395132430176588?s=46
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https://x.com/anthonycabassa/status/2017403216955408608?s=46
In video footage, Waters tells reporter Anthony Cabassa, “stay on the street, stay on the street.” When told that demonstrators were on federal property, she repeated, “Stay on the street.”
She also told ICE agents, “We don’t want you in Los Angeles, and we thought you had sense enough with the President to start getting out of Minneapolis, but I guess you have no sense and you don’t understand the power of the people,” and added, “We are not going away. We don’t want you in any of our cities in this country, and we’re going to fight you every inch of the way.”
Waters addressed President Trump directly, saying, “Donald Trump, you are absolutely the most outrageous, the most terrible, the most deplorable human being that I’ve ever met. You have no compassion for anybody. You have targeted this immigration, this migration, and you want to make MAGA people believe that you are all-powerful and that you’re going to see to it that they get these people of color out of this country. But they’re attacking everybody, Americans too. You see what they’re doing up in Minneapolis. And so, Donald Trump, we are going to make sure we’re going to beat you!”
When asked about violence at the protest, Waters said, “Well, let me tell you, we have to know that they have violent ICE, they have violent police, they have violent bodyguards, and we have to be careful. We must protest, we must not be intimidated, but we must be careful.” She also claimed, “I haven’t seen that,” referring to reports of rocks and other objects being thrown, while saying she supports “peaceful protests” protected by the Constitution.
The crowd reportedly moved a dumpster toward the ICE facility entrance and set it aflame. Over 100 LAPD officers responded in riot gear. Federal agents used crowd-control measures as objects were hurled.
The White House response was blunt. President Trump issued a warning and ordered federal agencies to protect buildings. He said, “Please be aware that I have instructed ICE and/or Border Patrol to be very forceful in this protection of Federal Government Property. There will be no spitting in the faces of our Officers, there will be no punching or kicking the headlights of our cars, and there will be no rock or brick throwing at our vehicles, or at our Patriot Warriors. If there is, those people will suffer an equal, or more, consequence.”
Whatever side you’re on, a federal facility was attacked. People were arrested. Property was damaged. The footage raises questions about leadership, tactics, and safety at protests. Leaders who show up in the middle of tense demonstrations carry responsibility for what happens next.
More updates are likely as officials review footage and file charges where appropriate.