Rep Maxine Waters Tells ICE Protesters to Fight at LA ICE Protest as Riots Erupt, Federal Officers Targeted [WATCH]

Rep. Maxine Waters was present in Los Angeles on Friday during violent anti-ICE demonstrations that resulted in multiple arrests and a large law enforcement response outside a federal immigration detention facility, as reported by The Gateway Pundit.

The unrest unfolded as part of the nationwide “ICE Out Everywhere” protests, with demonstrators gathering outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Los Angeles.

According to reporting cited by ABC 7, rioters clashed with federal agents and local police as the situation escalated.

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Video footage from the scene showed individuals throwing objects at shielded federal officers. Authorities responded with pepper balls and other nonlethal munitions in an effort to regain control.

At one point, demonstrators pushed a dumpster toward the entrance of the ICE facility and set it on fire, according to ABC 7.

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More than 100 Los Angeles Police Department officers reportedly responded in riot gear to contain the violence and secure the area around the federal building.

Multiple videos circulating on social media show Waters at the scene as demonstrators were ordered to disperse for surrounding the federal building, trespassing on federal property, and later assaulting federal officers.

After pepper spray was deployed, Waters returned to the front of the protest wearing a mask and continued addressing demonstrators.

Footage shows Waters arriving earlier in the day in a black SUV before stepping out near the detention facility. She was seen leading chants of “ICE Out of LA” while gesturing toward the crowd.

Maxine Waters didn’t like the low energy of the protesters in LA, so she got out of her SUV and led them in chanting, “ICE out of LA.” pic.twitter.com/Iwzu04P6pr

— I Meme Therefore I Am (@ImMeme0) January 31, 2026

In one video, Waters spoke with independent reporter Anthony Cabassa and encouraged demonstrators to remain in place. “Stay on the street, stay on the street,” Waters said.

When Cabassa noted that protesters were on federal property, Waters repeated, “Stay on the street.”

Waters then delivered a message directed at ICE agents, saying, “We don’t want you in Los Angeles, and we thought you had sense enough with the President to start getting out of Minneapolis, but I guess you have no sense and you don’t understand the power of the people.”

She continued, “We are not going away. We don’t want you in any of our cities in this country, and we’re going to fight you every inch of the way.”

Waters also addressed President Donald Trump during the demonstration, saying:

“Donald Trump, you are absolutely the most outrageous, the most terrible, the most deplorable human being that I’ve ever met. You have no compassion for anybody. You have targeted this immigration, this migration, and you want to make MAGA people believe that you are all-powerful and that you’re going to see to it that they get these people of color out of this country. But they’re attacking everybody, Americans too. You see what they’re doing up in Minneapolis. And so, Donald Trump, we are going to make sure we’re going to beat you!”

MESSAGE TO ICE : “We don’t want you in any of our cities in this country, and we’re going to fight you every inch of the way.”

Rep. Maxine Waters joined anti-ice protestors in Los Angeles, CA yesterday, with choice words to ICE agents, and President Trump. pic.twitter.com/E2ALOtSAVZ

— Anthony (@anthonycabassa) January 31, 2026

When later asked by Cabassa about the violence at the protest, Waters said, “Well, let me tell you, we have to know that they have violent ICE, they have violent police, they have violent bodyguards, and we have to be careful. We must protest, we must not be intimidated, but we must be careful.”

Asked specifically about demonstrators throwing rocks and other objects at ICE agents, Waters responded, “I haven’t seen that,” while also stating she wanted “peaceful protests” protected by the Constitution.

The Los Angeles unrest followed similar anti-ICE demonstrations nationwide. In response to attacks on federal facilities, President Trump announced he had directed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to protect federal property.

In a statement, Trump said:

“Please be aware that I have instructed ICE and/or Border Patrol to be very forceful in this protection of Federal Government Property. There will be no spitting in the faces of our Officers, there will be no punching or kicking the headlights of our cars, and there will be no rock or brick throwing at our vehicles or at our Patriot Warriors. If there is, those people will suffer an equal or more consequence.”

Federal and local authorities continue to review the incidents surrounding the Los Angeles protests as investigations remain ongoing.

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