Crowds Gather in Downtown LA for Immigration Enforcement Protest

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Crowds of people gathered at demonstrations on Friday in Los Angeles, including at Gloria Molina Grand Park in the city's downtown area. Rallies started there and at locations around Southern California in a nationwide day of action seeking to stop funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Why it matters

The protests reflect ongoing tensions and debates around immigration enforcement policies in the U.S., with activists calling for the defunding or abolition of ICE while others support the agency's role in border security and deportations of undocumented immigrants.

The details

By the scheduled 1 p.m. start, a throng of over 1,000 people had gathered in Grand Park outside Los Angeles City Hall. Video from the scene showed deputies standing guard behind razor wire surrounding the Hall of Justice, home to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department offices. Additional protests were planned Friday afternoon outside Burbank City Hall, at Abbott Kinney and Venice boulevards in Venice, and at the intersection of Valencia Boulevard and McBean Parkway in Santa Clarita. In Orange County, an afternoon rally was scheduled at the intersection of Camino Capistrano and Del Obispo Street in San Juan Capistrano.

• The rallies started on Friday, January 30, 2026.