President Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday condemned violence in Los Angeles during protests against immigration raids, and urged U.S. authorities to uphold due process when dealing with immigrants.
After three days of protests in Los Angeles that followed the arrest in the city last week of more than 100 undocumented immigrants, including dozens of Mexicans, Sheinbaum responded to the events at her Monday morning press conference.
“We don’t agree with violent actions as a form of protest. The burning of police cars seems more an act of provocation than resistance,” she said, reading from a prepared statement.
“It must be clear that we condemn violence, wherever it comes from. We call on the Mexican community to act peacefully and not succumb to provocations,” Sheinbaum said.
The president also expressed the Mexican government’s “unbreakable commitment” to “the protection and defense of the human rights of Mexicans abroad, regardless of their migratory situation.”
“In this sense, we respectfully but firmly call on U.S. authorities to carry out all migratory procedures with adherence to due process within a framework of respect for human dignity and the rule of law,” Sheinbaum said.
In earlier remarks, she said that Mexicans who live in the United States are “hardworking” and “honest” men and women.
“The vast majority” of Mexicans in the United States have work permits or are U.S. citizens, Sheinbaum said. She added that “the vast majority” of those without documents have been living in the United States for more than five years, and “contribute to the economy of the United States and that of Mexico.”
“The United States needs them for their economy,” Sheinbaum said.
She said that her government will continue using “all available diplomatic and legal channels to express its disagreement with practices that criminalize migration and place at risk the safety and well-being of our communities in the United States.”
“Through our consular network, Mexico immediately activated all assistance and consular protection mechanisms to guarantee that our detained compatriots receive adequate legal advice and fair treatment,” Sheinbaum added.
“Our consulates have intensified their efforts to inform the Mexican community about their rights and the actions they can take if they are the target of an immigration operation,” she said, referring to raids carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The protests in various parts of Los Angeles in recent days came after ICE detained scores of undocumented immigrants in the city last week.
The agency said in a social media post on Saturday that “ICE operations in LA this week resulted in 118 alien arrests, including five gang members and numerous criminal aliens.”
“Despite what you may be hearing, the record checks show that we arrested illegal aliens with criminal histories including: child cruelty, domestic violence, drug trafficking, assault, robbery, human smuggling,” ICE said.
Hello from downtown LA, where the sun is setting and the tenor of the protests is shifting
It’s been a long day and has all the markings of a long night
Let’s do this
— L. Jedeed, Butlerian Jihadi (@LauraJedeed) June 9, 2025
At an event in Puebla on Sunday, Sheinbaum also defended Mexicans in the United States, saying “they are not criminals,” but rather “good men and women.”
“They have all the solidarity of their government,” she said.
“… Our migrant brothers and sisters go … [to the United States] seeking better opportunities. The majority of them have been working there for many years. For example, there are a lot of poblanos and poblanas who live in New York, they call it ‘Puebla York’ because New York wouldn’t be what it is if it weren’t for the poblanos who are there. Los Angeles, California, wouldn’t be what it is without the Mexicans who are there,” Sheinbaum said.
“They migrate out of necessity and from there they send resources to their families,” she said.
Foreign minister: 42 Mexicans detained in ICE raids
Foreign Affairs Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente told Sheinbaum’s Monday morning press conference that 42 Mexicans — 37 men and five women — were detained in recent immigration raids in Los Angeles. He said that four of those people have returned to Mexico.
“Yesterday we learned that four of them had already been deported,” de la Fuente said, explaining that two people were subject to removal orders and two others accepted deportation “voluntarily.”
The foreign minister noted that ICE carried out two raids in Los Angeles on Friday, at which Mexicans were detained. He said that one raid occurred at a Home Depot and another took place at “a textile factory whose name is Ambience.”
Citing Bill Essayli, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, NBC News reported that “among the sites targeted by federal agents” in immigration raids “was clothing manufacturer, importer and wholesaler Ambiance Apparel in the city’s Fashion District.”
De la Fuente said that Mexican consular officials “immediately” went to immigration detention centers in Los Angeles to “try to identify” and interview Mexicans who had been detained in order to offer them legal advice and contact their family members.
He said that relatives have been contacted “by our consular personnel,” and noted that Mexico is now carrying out “individual case by case” analyses “to see what are the next steps.”
“… I must also say that, on the instructions of the president, over the weekend we were in contact with the United States Ambassador in Mexico [Ron] Johnson and with the Ambassador [Esteban] Moctezuma, our ambassador in Washington, who were supporting us so that out consular agents, our protection personnel, could access the detention centers,” de la Fuente said.
Ambassador Johnson said on social media on Sunday that “the violent protesters in LA do not represent the proud and hardworking Mexican people we know and respect.”
“Our actions protect all communities and uphold the rule of law. Mexico is our partner — and the ties between our nations run deep,” he wrote on X.
Like Sheinbaum, De la Fuente called on Mexicans in the United States to respond to ICE actions in a peaceful way.
“We need to remain calm. We need all expressions [of protest] … to be peaceful,” he said.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its “deep concern” about ICE raids in “several cities of the United States, particularly Los Angeles.”
The protests in LA
There were protests against immigration raids in various parts of Los Angeles in recent days, including Paramount, where the raid at the Home Depot took place, and the downtown area of California’s largest city.
Home Depot caught in the crosshairs of L.A. immigrations raids https://t.co/LnF9NCg84u
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) June 9, 2025
Police vehicles and other cars have been set on fire during protests and some protesters have thrown bottles and rocks. Police have deployed tear gas and fired rubber bullets in response. Dozens of protesters have been arrested.
California Governor Gavin Newsom accused United States President Donald Trump of inflaming the situation by deploying 2,000 California National Guard troops to help quell the protests.
“Donald Trump is putting fuel on this fire. Commandeering a state’s National Guard without consulting the Governor of that state is illegal and immoral. California will be taking him to court,” Newsom wrote on social media.
In another post, the governor wrote:
“Los Angeles: don’t take Trump’s bait. Trump wants chaos and he’s instigated violence. Those who assault law enforcement or cause property damage will risk arrest. Stay peaceful. Stay focused. Don’t give him the excuse he’s looking for.”
Trump — who is spearheading a mass deportation program in the United States — declared on his social media site Truth Social that “we made a great decision in sending the National Guard to deal with the violent, instigated riots in California.”
“If we had not done so, Los Angeles would have been completely obliterated,” he wrote on Sunday.
Stephen Miller, deputy White House chief of staff, asserted on X that Los Angeles is “occupied territory” due to the presence of “foreign flags” — including large numbers of Mexican ones — at protests in the city.
In an article headlined “The Mexican Flag Becomes a Potent L.A. Protest Symbol,” The New York Times reported that “Mexican and other Latin American flags have emerged as protest emblems, angering the Trump administration and its supporters.”
“Trump officials have cast flag wavers as insurrectionists and implied that they are not U.S. citizens,” the Times said.
“… But for many protesters who are American citizens, the flag signifies pride in their roots, as well as solidarity with immigrants who are being targeted for deportation,” the Times reported.
