As Los Angeles still recovers after violent anti-ICE demonstrations that have erupted this weekend, more information is becoming available about who is behind the violence, what money is being used to fuel their causes, and which politicians are entering the arena – sometimes literally.
Among the most troubling disclosures: a well-funded nonprofit organization with extensive political connections and millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded grants has been discovered as a key operator behind the protests that resulted in ICE agents being injured, federal property being damaged and the streets of downtown being in disarray.
And, as the violence continued to intensify, Congresswoman Maxine Waters literally came to the rescue, storming onto the scene and screaming at National Guard troops activated by President Trump, asking why they were armed in her city.
Who is funding the protests? CHIRLA in the Spotlight
Attorney and activist Laura Powell says that among the main groups that contributed to the recent unrest is the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) a long-established Los Angeles-based nonprofit that has a long history of progressive immigration advocacy and direct-action organizing.
On the social network X, Powell posted a screenshot with the participation of CHIRLA in coordinating opposition to recent ICE enforcement operations. She was not subtle:
She wrote: “And, if you are a Californian, the riots in progress in LA are your tax dollars at work.
CHIRLA is among the facilitators of the violent reaction to the immigration enforcement activities.
Powell, a watchdog journalist who has followed the trail of public money and its connection to political activism, pointed to the radical history of the group, which in 2018 had campaigned to eliminate ICE completely.
Powell then explained that it is now heading the Los Angeles Rapid Response Network, which collects intelligence on enforcement activity and sends activists to the scene.
If you are a Californian, the current LA riots are an example of your tax dollars hard at work.
— Laura Powell (@LauraPowellEsq) June 9, 2025
The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Right—CHIRLA—is one of the key players in fomenting the violent response to immigration enforcement actions. It’s an LA-based nonprofit with a… pic.twitter.com/PSzSsdu0hg
Vast Political Connections and State Funding in Millions of Dollars.
The most remarkable fact included in the expos by Powell was, perhaps, the total sum of the public money CHIRLA had been granted.
Powell uncovered that the California taxpayers are the major financiers of the activities by CHIRLA. In the fiscal year ending June 2023, it got $34 million and that was largely provided by the state, via the Department of Social Services.
She noted that this number was 72 percent of the organization total revenue and almost triple the amount compared to the previous year.
CHIRLA has also been closely aligned to Democratic power brokers in California, especially Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass who has publicly supported the organizations mission and affiliations.
This organization is especially close to organized labor in the state, and such organized labor is a big financial backer of Democrat politicians, Powell wrote.
She additionally mentioned that in 2023, CHIRLA was awarded a $450,000 federal contract, a grant which Mayor Bass publicly claimed credit in assisting with. The department of Homeland Security (DHS) later froze this funding, however, and CHIRLA sued — and then withdrew the suit.
Powell concluded, “Eisenhower speech warned about the military-industrial complex, now we have a nonprofit-industrial complex.”
Mayhem and LAStreed violence
Initialy caused by the recent ICE workplace raids, the protests soon grew out of control, resulting in violent clashes between the demonstrators and the federal agents. Federal vehicles were burned, ICE agents were hurt, and businesses in the downtown area were vandalized or looted.
President Trump later gave the go-ahead to deploy up to 2,000 members of the California National Guard, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also put an extra 500 Marines on alert at Camp Pendleton as the situation deteriorated.
The order was included in the wider executive order of Trump dubbed, “Department of Defense Security to Protect Department of Homeland Security Functions,” which increases the role of the military in safeguarding ICE and federal immigration activities.
Maxine Waters Faces off with National Guard in Angry Exchange
One of the actors in this tension-filled drama hit the headlines not by defusing the situation, but by going directly against the federal reaction.
Maxine Waters, the California Rep. who has always supported immigrants with her aggressive rhetoric and liberal views, was seen in the streets of Los Angeles with the protesters.
Waters screamed at National Guard soldiers who were positioned outside the Los Angeles Federal Building in a video-recorded moment:
Why are you carrying guns? What are you going to do shoot some kid who is scared of you and runs?”
You going to shoot an elected official? Shoot me, but shoot straight.
Waters blamed the federal presence as an intimidation tactic engineered by Trump and said the leadership of the state had been bypassed.
I do not know what you are doing in my city. The governor was not reached. That is Trump – and his brazen effort to not only attack our sanctuary city but scare us and intimidate us.”
She concluded with a threat to soldiers:
I hope none of you will shoot anybody with those guns. Why should we shoot anybody?
Waters Attempts to Enter Federal Building, Insists that she be allowed to “check on” imprisoned union leader.
After her confrontation with the National Guard, Waters tried to get into the Los Angeles Federal Building, allegedly to “check on” SEIU President David Huerta.
Huerta was wounded and arrested in the course of violent protests between protestors and ICE agents last night. His arrest on obstruction charges at the protests sparked organized labor furies.
Waters, an old friend of the California labor movement, insisted on meeting Huerta, and is said to have demanded his release, which only heated up an already volatile situation.
A Crisis Deeper: Public Money, Political Power, and Civil Unrest
What we are seeing in Los Angeles is more than just a few days of demonstrations. It’s a view into an expanding universe of publicly supported activism, one with strong ties to political leadership in California -– and one that is ever more ready to challenge federal authority.
The exposures of CHIRLA suggest awkward questions:
Do you think California taxpayer money should go to groups that actively work to resist federal law enforcement?
Should elected leaders such as Mayor Bass be able to get federal contracts on behalf of organizations that engage in politically motivated street activity?
How does electorate leadership come into play when activism becomes aggression?
To critics, the implication is obvious: political activism, taxpayer dollars and street-level disturbances are becoming less distinct – and that may have a lasting effect on governance, law enforcement and citizen confidence.
The Immigration War in California comes to a Head.
With ICE enforcement raids, violent demonstrations, the use of the military, and elected leaders protesting in the streets, California is now the main battlefield in the ongoing struggle over immigration policy in America.
On one hand, federal agencies attempt to uphold national laws on immigration. Opposed to them are well-established taxpayer-funded activist networks with links to influential politicians.
When even the members of the Congress are openly challenging the soldiers on the street and access to the detainees, then you know that this conflict is not abating, it can only gather pace.
And with further protests promised in the days to come, Los Angeles is very much a city on the edge, a place where the battle over immigration, policing and political dominance is being played out in real time.
