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Police in riot gear block off an intersection during clashes between law enforcement and demonstrators on June 8, 2025 in Downtown Los Angeles, California.
As immigration raids and protests sweep LA, California's queer groups say "LGBTQ+ immigrants are especially vulnerable."
California's LGBTQ+ groups are standing in solidarity with immigrants and protestors as Donald Trump cracks down on community backlash to recent ICE raids in Los Angeles.
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At least 118 immigrants were arrested in LA between Friday and Saturday, ICE said in a Saturday post on X, sparking massive protests outside several government buildings in the city's downtown area. Trump has since usurped California's sovereignty by deploying the National Guard without Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom's request — the first time since 1965 that a president has bypassed a governor's authority to deploy the troops.
"Donald Trump’s decision to seize control of the California National Guard and launch sweeping immigration raids is a dangerous and deliberate escalation, intended to terrorize communities across our state," Equality California Executive Director Tony Hoang said in a statement. "These actions are rooted in political theater and will ignite more fear in already vulnerable communities. They are sowing chaos and tearing families apart."
Up to 3 percent of non-citizens living in the United States — about 640,000 people — are LGBTQ, according to a report from the Williams Institute. This includes as many as 288,000 undocumented immigrants who are at heightened risk under Trump's mass deportation plan. A separate study from the center found that at least 11,400 LGBTQ+ people had sought asylum in the U.S. between 2012 and 2017, with nearly all claims (98.4 percent) resulting in a positive determination of credible fear.
"LGBTQ+ immigrants are especially vulnerable at this moment," Hoang continued. "Many have fled violence and persecution only to be met with federally-sanctioned cruelty here in the United States. These raids risk separating loving families, re-traumatizing asylum seekers, and driving LGBTQ+ people further into the shadows — where access to safety, health care, and legal protection is even more limited."
Los Angeles is a sanctuary city for immigrants as well as LGBTQ+ people, meaning law enforcement is not allowed to use its resources to enforce deportations or raids. In the case of LGBTQ+ people, they are not allowed to facilitate prosecution against queer youth who travel to the city to receive gender-affirming care.
Newsom has since announced that he will be filing a lawsuit against the Trump Administration Monday if the president does not recognize the state's sovereignty by withdrawing the National Guard and returning its control to him. He also said in response to White House "border czar" Tom Homan's threats of arrest for supposedly interfering with immigration agents' duties, "Tom, arrest me. Let's go."
The Los Angeles LGBT Center said in a statement that its Legal Services team "has legal clinics available in both English and Spanish to help LGBTQ+ immigrants protect themselves and their families in times of crisis." They also provide assistance with asylum applications, work permit applications, name/gender marker changes, and more both in person and virtually.
"These raids are a cruel reminder that safety and dignity are still not guaranteed for all," the group said in a statement. "The Center stands with people of Los Angeles, including immigrant rights groups and our elected officials in condemning these attacks on our community. The federal government is intentionally seeking to instill fear and disrupt our lives."
The Los Angeles LGBT Center can be contacted online at legalservices@lalgbtcenter.org or by phone at 323-993-7670.
