A striking photo depicting a protester wearing a mask and carrying a Mexican flag as they ride a bike around a burning car in Los Angeles has quickly become an emblem of the protests against ICE in the city.

On Friday, thousands of individuals flooded the streets of LA to voice their opposition to President Donald Trump’s far-reaching immigration policies. The protests intensified over the weekend, leading to violent confrontations between demonstrators and law enforcement.

The image of the protester proudly displaying the flag circulated widely on social media on Sunday, along with aerial footage of the chaotic scene. This sparked a wave of criticism from Republican politicians and conservative media figures, who condemned the riots as un-American.

‘Insurrectionists carrying foreign flags are attacking immigration enforcement officers, while one half of America’s political leadership has decided that border enforcement is evil,’ Vice President JD Vance posted on X late on Saturday. 

GOP Senator for Alabama Katie Britt shared the video on her account the next day, with the words: ‘Defund sanctuary jurisdictions. Fund ICE.’

‘Simple message to illegal aliens: leave now. You broke our laws to get here and you will be deported,’ said Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno in response to the clip.

Texas Senator Wesley Hunt went a step further by sharing an image of the masked protester split with the famous photograph of Trump after the assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally in July 2024. 

‘There are two visions for America. Choose wisely,’ Hunt wrote on X.

Rioters seized control of the 101 Freeway through the afternoon, and violent clashes broke out between protesters against the National Guard, LAPD and immigration officials in response to President Trump’s efforts to arrest illegal migrants.

Horrifying scenes of violence have stretched into a third day and sparked a political war of words between Trump and California Governor Gavin Newsom, who accused the federal administration of making matters worse with divisive rhetoric and threats.

The Los Angeles Police Department has been issuing a series of rapid fire directives as authorities seek to regain control of the rioters and contain the spread of the protests.

Extraordinary video shows the protesters as they commandeered both sides of the freeway on Sunday, grinding traffic to a complete halt as they march down the streets waving flags and holding signs high above their heads.

In nearby Alameda and Temple, arrests are now underway as officers report ‘people in the crowd are throwing concrete, bottles and other objects.’

The LAPD issued an urgent dispersal order for the regions, warning ‘those at Alameda and Temple must leave the area.’ 

Protesters gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center were warned that the LAPD incident commander had approved the use of ‘less lethal munitions’ to break up the crowd.

This came as authorities declared the area an ‘unlawful assembly’ and warned any protester who chose to stay would be subject to arrest. 

The LAPD began issuing rolling dispersal orders and declaring some of the protests acts of ‘unlawful assembly’ as violence ramped up on Sunday afternoon. 

Authorities issued a separate warning that the city has been placed on ‘tactical alert’, meaning all of the department’s officers are now on notice that they could be called up for service at any given moment. 

Officers who are already on duty are not allowed to end their shift until they have been relieved by their commanders, and residents of Los Angeles are warned that low priority calls may go unanswered while the alert is ongoing. 

These officers will now join the 2,000 California National Guard troops Trump earlier deployed to Los Angeles to quell the protests, which he called ‘a form of rebellion.’

Trump issued an extraordinary directive on Sunday vowing to ‘liberate Los Angeles’ from illegal aliens which have ‘invaded and occupied a once great American city.’

A combined effort led by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Attorney General Pam Bondi will restore order, Trump said. 

He has directed his key personnel to ‘to take all such action necessary to liberate Los Angeles from the Migrant Invasion, and put an end to these Migrant riots.

‘Order will be restored, the Illegals will be expelled, and Los Angeles will be set free,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday afternoon.