Here’s How Much the L.A. Migrant Riots Cost.

PULSE POINTS

WHAT HAPPENED: Pro-illegal immigrant riots in Los Angeles, California, this month have resulted in significant taxpayer costs.

WHO WAS INVOLVED: Protesters, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia, California Governor Gavin Newsom (D), and the Trump administration.

WHEN & WHERE: Los Angeles, during June 2025, and other Democrat-controlled cities.

KEY QUOTE: “$29.5 million or 92 percent relates to LAPD’s response to protests against ICE, including citywide tactical alert costs.” – Kenneth Mejia

IMPACT: Over $30 million in taxpayer costs, deployment of the National Guard, and over 700 arrests nationwide.

IN FULL

Downtown Los Angeles became the epicenter of pro-illegal immigrant riots earlier this month, with similar protests taking place in other Democrat-controlled cities. These demonstrations were in response to the Trump administration’s increased immigration enforcement efforts in California.

Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia stated that the riots and protests cost taxpayers over $30 million. Mejia detailed the costs on X, writing, “$29.5 million or 92 percent relates to LAPD’s response to protests against ICE, including citywide tactical alert costs.” An additional $1.4 million went toward clean-up and public property damage.

During the weekend of June 8, rioters in downtown L.A. burned Waymo cars, assaulted police officers, and engaged in mass looting. The violence led the Trump administration to deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles, a move that cost approximately $134 million, to protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal personnel who were not being adequately protected by local and state officials while performing their duties.

Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized the deployment and filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the decision. The lawsuit failed, however.

Similar anti-ICE riots occurred in cities like Seattle and Portland, some coinciding with anti-Trump “No Kings” protests. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reported that over 700 arrests were made nationwide in connection with the riots. On June 10 alone, more than 200 arrests took place in Los Angeles after Mayor Karen Bass issued an emergency curfew to curb the looting and vandalism.

President Donald J. Trump has vowed to keep going forward with his deportation policies alongside Border Czar Tom Homan. Trump’s strict immigration policies have significantly reduced illegal entries into the United States, which are down 99.99 percent compared to the Biden era, Homan said in April.