US: The LA Demonstrations are the most explosive escalation of tensions between demonstrators and police since BLM — Expert Comment

Kieran Doyle, North America Research Manager with ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data), said:

“The most explosive escalation of tensions between demonstrators and police since the height of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 is currently unfolding in Los Angeles over Trump’s ‘mass deportation agenda.’ This moment of confrontation had been building at least since Trump began his second term. By 5 June — the day before anti-ICE demonstrations broke out in LA — ACLED had already recorded more demonstrations supporting immigration in 2025 than over the previous five years combined. Though this movement had already been on the rise, anti-ICE demonstrations in solidarity with demonstrators in Los Angeles have already begun to spread to cities across the United States. 

“This weekend, more than 1,500 demonstrations against the Trump administration under the banner of ‘No Kings’ have been planned to coincide with Trump’s parade to commemorate the US Army’s 250th birthday. With such a large number of planned demonstrations, and as Los Angeles solidarity demonstrations continue to expand, this situation could easily escalate even further.”

Note for editors: For more information or to interview Kieran Doyle, please contact Gina Dorso at [email protected]. We are collecting real-time data and will have more information available in the coming days.

ACLED’s data on the United States dates back to the beginning of 2020.
For more information, see ACLED’s US Crisis Monitor. ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data) is a global monitor that collects, analyzes, and maps data on conflict and protest. ACLED provides detailed information to help identify, understand, and track patterns and trends in conflict and crisis situations around the world.