As Los Angeles still recovers after violent anti-ICE demonstrations that have cropped up this past weekend, more information is surfacing concerning who is behind the unrest, what is financing their activity, and which political leaders are entering the arena – literally in some cases.
One of the most disturbing findings: a deep-pocketed political outfit with a long nonprofit history has been exposed as a key force behind the protests that resulted in injured ICE agents and federal property damage as well as chaotic streets in downtown.
And then, as the violence got worse, Congresswoman Maxine Waters dramatically appeared on the scene, where she confronted National Guard troops sent by President Trump and she demanded to know why they were “armed in her city.”
Who is Standing Behind the Protests? CHIRLA in the Spotlight
Attorney and activist Laura Powell says that among the leading groups sustaining the current unrest is the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) a long-established Los Angeles-based nonprofit whose progressive immigration advocacy and direct-action organizing goes back many years.
On the social network X, Powell posted a screenshot with information about the participation of CHIRLA in arranging resistance to the recent ICE enforcement operations. She was not delicate:
She said, “the riots in LA today are, if you are a Californian, an example of your tax dollars at work.”
CHIRLA is among the organizations which have been instrumental in the violent reaction to the immigration enforcement activities.
Powell, a watchdog reporter who has followed the trail of public funds and their connection to political activism, highlighted the radical past of the group which in 2018 launched a campaign to defund ICE completely.
Powell went on to say that it now heads the Los Angeles Rapid Response Network that collects intelligence on enforcement activities, 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.
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
— Laura Powell (@LauraPowellEsq) June 9, 2025
Profound Political Connections and State Funding to the Millions of Dollars
The most eye-popping fact in the Powell expos may have been the simple total of public money that CHIRLA has acquired.
Powell unveiled, “The activities of the CHIRLA are mainly funded by the tax payers of California.” Regarding the fiscal year that ends in June 2023, it gets $34 million funded by the state, primarily via the Department of Social Services.
This number was 72 percent of the total revenue of the organization and almost three times higher than in the previous year, she added.
CHIRLA has also been closely aligned with Democratic power brokers in California especially Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass who has openly supported the group mission and affiliations.
“The organization is also especially close to organized labor in the state, which also happens to be a huge financial backer of Democrat politicians, Powell wrote.
She further mentioned that in 2023, CHIRLA was awarded a 450 000 federal contract, a grant which Mayor Bass boasted about having assisted in obtaining publicly. The funding was however later frozen by the department of Homeland Security (DHS) prompting CHIRLA to file- and later dismiss- a lawsuit.
Powell finished by warning of a nonprofit-industrial complex: “Eisenhower warned us about the military-industrial complex.”
The LA Streets violence and Chaos
The demonstrations which were initially triggered by the recent ICE workplace raids soon grew into violent clashes between the protesters and federal agents. ICE agents were hurt, federal vehicles were vandalized, and businesses in the downtown area were destroyed or looted.
Later, President Trump gave the green light to send 2,000 California National Guard soldiers as the situation continued to become threatening, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also put an extra 500 Marines on alert at Camp Pendleton.
The order was included in an expanded executive order of Trump, namely, “Department of Defense Security for the Protection of Department of Homeland Security Functions,” which increases the role of the military in safeguarding ICE and federal immigration activities.
Maxine Waters goes up against National Guard in heated exchange
With the tensions rising, there was one personality hitting the news not to de-escalate the situation, but to go directly against the federal response.
Maxine Waters, the California rep. who has always been identified with her hot language and liberal approach to immigration issues, was seen in the Los Angeles streets along with the protesters.
At one point, Waters screamed at National Guard soldiers gathered outside the Los Angeles Federal Building in a videoed moment:
What are your guns? What are you going to do–shoot some kid who runs away of you and is afraid of you?
You going to shoot an elected official? Shoot me, said he, but shoot straight.
Waters blamed the federal presence as an intimidation of Trump, organized against the state leadership, saying it had been circumvented.
I do not know what you are doing in my city. They did not contact the governor. That is Trump — and his shocking effort to not only attack our sanctuary city, but to scare us and intimidate us.”
She concluded with a threats to soldiers:
I want none of you to shoot anybody with those guns. Why should we shoot anybody?
Waters Attempts to Enter Federal Building, Forces to “Check On” Imprisoned Union Boss
After her interaction with the National Guard, Waters tried to enter the Los Angeles Federal Building, alleged to be so that she could check on SEIU President David Huerta.
Huerta was hurt and arrested in the course of violent protests between protesters and ICE agents last night. His prosecution on obstruction at the protests created a storm of indignation among organized labor.
Waters, a long time supporter of the California labor movement, insisted on meeting Huerta and reportedly asked that he be released, further inflaming an already volatile situation.
A Crisis Within: The Public Money, Political Power, and Civil Unrest.
What is happening in Los Angeles is not simply a weekend of demonstrations. It provides a look at an expanding world of publicly financed activism that is closely intertwined with political leadership in California – and ever more ready to challenge the federal government.
The exposures of CHIRLA suggest uneasy inquiries:
Should California tax payer money be spent on organizations that openly defy federal law enforcement?
Should elected leaders such as Mayor Bass be able to get federal contracts to organizations that engage in politically motivated street activities?
In what manner can elected representatives help when activism results in aggression?
To opponents, the writing is on the wall: political activism, taxpayer money, and urban unrest are becoming inseparable – and that may have a lasting effect on how states are governed, policed, and trusted.
Immigration War in California comes to a boil.
With ICE crackdowns, violent protest, military presence, and elected leaders taking to the streets, California is now the main battle ground in the ongoing fight over immigration policy in America.
On one hand, there are federal authorities attempting to administer national immigration laws. Opposed to them are deeply entrenched activist networks many of which are fed by taxpayer dollars and tied to influences inside the beltway.
When even the members of the Congress are openly challenging the soldiers on the streets and demanding access to the detainees, it is obvious that this conflict is not cooling off, rather it is just gaining momentum.
And as more protests are planned in days to come, Los Angeles is a city on edge, where the struggle over immigration, policing and political authority is happening in real-time.