Overview

• Protests began on June 6 after ICE raids in Southern California, leading to the National Guard’s deployment on June 9 and street demonstrations this week
• Governor Gavin Newsom filed suit under Title 10 authority, arguing the federal deployment lacked California’s approval
• Demonstrators have prominently displayed Mexican flags, which supporters say signify cultural heritage and critics interpret as anti-American
• Activists reference the Chicano movement’s historic use of the Mexican flag and invoke land claims traced to the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
• White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Rep. Adam Kinzinger have condemned violence and urged protesters to carry American flags