10 Jun Protests in California Tarnish the Image of the Mexican Immigrant: Radicals and Hamas Sympathizers Sabotage a Popular Mandate
By,
Jesús Romero. Co-Founder & Senior Fellow, MSI²
Introduction: From Legitimate Claims to Dangerous Sabotage. For decades, Mexican immigrants have sought to integrate into the United States while respecting its legal framework. However, recent protests in California, infiltrated by radicals displaying symbols of Hamas, a terrorist organization designated by the United States since 1997 (U.S. Department of State, 2024), are sabotaging this cause.
These demonstrations, originally linked to immigration rights, have been hijacked by extremists who divert attention from the will of the American majority, which, with over 50% of the vote in recent elections, backed a government committed to strict reforms against illegal immigration (White House, 2025). This organized chaos, amplified by violent attacks in the name of “Free Palestine,” tarnishes the image of the Mexican immigrant and challenges national sovereignty.
The Impact on the Mexican Immigrant Community
The radicalized protests, marked by violence and extremist symbols like those of Hamas, not only undermine the immigration jurisprudence that protects U.S. sovereignty but also unjustly associate legal Mexican immigrants with chaos and illegality. The left exploits immigration laws to justify permissive policies that encourage confrontations, polarize society, and tolerate extremist narratives, such as those that have led to attacks in the name of “Free Palestine.” For example, on June 1, 2025, in Boulder, Colorado, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian with an expired visa, attacked pro-Israel demonstrators with incendiary devices, injuring 8-15 people while shouting “Free Palestine” (Reuters, 2025a). Days earlier, on May 21, 2025, a gunman killed two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, D.C., also invoking this slogan (ABC News, 2025).
These acts:
– Fuel narratives in conservative media that erroneously link all immigrants with extremist violence, harming Mexicans who respect the law and seek to integrate (Pew Research Center, 2024).
– Generate tensions on university campuses, where Hamas symbols intimidate Jewish students, prompting FBI investigations and tarnishing the efforts of legal immigrants to build bridges in academic spaces (ADL, 2024).
– Exploit the silence of some Hispanic leaders, allowing leftist and extremist agendas to dominate public discourse, overshadowing the millions of Mexicans who comply with the law and contribute to the country’s progress.
This manipulation of the immigration cause by radicals and their leftist allies, who use the rhetoric of “Free Palestine” to justify violence, betrays U.S. sovereignty and the popular mandate for an orderly immigration system.
Radicalization in the Streets: A Threat to Public Order
The presence of individuals using confrontational tactics, such as improvised shields and stone-throwing attacks against police, is no coincidence. Los Angeles police reported arrests and confiscation of protest materials during clashes on May 10, 2024 (NBC News, 2024). Even more alarming is the use of Hamas symbols:
– Symbols linked to Hamas and Hezbollah, seen in Los Angeles protests, are propaganda tools from Gaza now displayed on American streets (New York Post, 2024).
– These tactics, including coordinated formations and selective violence, suggest an attempt to train urban insurgency rather than engage in civic protest, with the potential to amplify extremist narratives (FBI, 2024).
Amplified Chaos: Los Angeles Under Siege
Reports show Los Angeles on the brink of chaos, with radical militants, some linked to Antifa, setting fire to properties, destroying storefronts, and attacking law enforcement (Los Angeles Times, 2025). A Waymo taxi was burned in Compton, and clashes in Paramount involved tear gas. These actions, wrapped in foreign flags and Hamas symbols, are not legitimate protests: they are acts of organized chaos that tarnish the image of the Mexican immigrant and defy the popular mandate to strengthen security and control illegal immigration (Reuters, 2025b).
Newsom’s Irresponsibility: Fanning the Flames of Disorder
California Governor Gavin Newsom, far from controlling the protests, has fanned the flames of conflict with rhetoric that defies the federal government, elected by the majority of Americans to address illegal immigration. Newsom denounced federal overreach, calling Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids “inhumane” and the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops by President Trump “provocative” (CNN, 2025). This stance ignores episodes of violence, such as vehicle fires and attacks on federal agents in Los Angeles (Los Angeles Times, 2025), and reinforces the White House narrative that California is a bastion of criminality incapable of maintaining order. The Trump administration accused Newsom of failing to protect the city, noting that “federal agents were attacked by violent radicals” (Fox News, 2025). By prioritizing confrontation with Trump over controlling the riots, Newsom projects an image of permissiveness that fuels those who see California as a haven for disorder, contradicting the popular mandate for security and immigration control (New York Times, 2025).
Sheinbaum’s Ambiguity: An Implicit Endorsement of Chaos
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has responded to immigration raids with a message that, while condemning violence in Los Angeles, fails to distance itself from radicalized sectors mixing Mexican flags with Hamas symbols. She stated: “The Mexicans living in the United States are honest workers… It is not with raids and violence that the immigration phenomenon will be addressed” (Reuters, 2025c). This rhetoric, which avoids explicitly condemning extremist symbols, can be interpreted as an implicit endorsement of uncontrolled protests, undermining U.S. efforts to implement immigration policies backed by the majority. Analysts note that her stance seeks to appease nationalist sectors in Mexico but ignores the damage these riots cause to the Mexican immigrant’s image (Foreign Affairs, 2025).
Conclusion: Reclaiming the Immigrant Cause, Honoring the Popular Mandate
The struggle of the Mexican immigrant cannot be hijacked by radicals who turn streets into conflict zones. Latino leaders, civil rights advocates, and authorities must:
1. Unequivocally condemn the use of terrorist symbols in immigration protests.
2. Reclaim the image of the Mexican immigrant as a worker who respects the law and contributes to progress, not as a pawn in foreign conflicts.
3. Support the American popular mandate for restoring public order and controlling illegal immigration, isolating groups that promote violent causes.
The administration of President Trump and its law enforcement forces have acted correctly in identifying the source of these threats, implementing decisive measures against organized chaos. The deployment of the National Guard under Title 10 of the U.S. Code, in support of federal agents and agencies’ operations, is the right response to restore order and protect national sovereignty (Reuters, 2025b). In this battle for the narrative, the social cohesion and internal security of the United States are at stake. California must not be seen as a bastion of criminality, and its leaders must align with the majority’s will to uphold the law and protect the true essence of the legal immigrant community.
References
ABC News. (2025, May 21). Two Israeli embassy staff killed in D.C. https://abcnews.go.com/article/israel-embassy-shooting
ADL. (2024). 2024 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents. https://www.adl.org/resources/report/2024-audit-antisemitic-incidents
CNN. (2024, November 15). Newsom vows to protect California’s sanctuary policies. https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/15/politics/newsom-sanctuary-california
El Universal. (2024, October 10). Sheinbaum y la migración: Un equilibrio nacionalista. https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/opinion/sheinbaum-migracion
FBI. (2024). 2024 Domestic Terrorism Report. https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/2024-domestic-terrorism-report.pdf
Fox News. (2024, December 20). Trump team slams Newsom’s immigration stance. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-newsom-immigration
Los Angeles Times. (2024, May 12). LAPD clashes with protesters in downtown LA. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-05-12/lapd-protest-clashes
NBC News. (2024, May 8). LAPD arrests dozens in UCLA protest. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/lapd-arrests-ucla-protest-2024
New York Post. (2024, May 3). Pro-Palestinian protests feature extremist symbols. https://www.nypost.com/2024/05/03/us-news/pro-palestinian-protests-symbols
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Reuters. (2024). Trump deploys National Guard to border states. https://www.reuters.com/article/trump-national-guard-2024
Reuters. (2025a, June 2). Man attacks Colorado crowd with firebombs, 8-15 people injured. https://www.reuters.com/article/boulder-attack-2025
Reuters. (2025b, June 9). Mexico’s Sheinbaum condemns violence in U.S. protests. https://www.reuters.com/article/sheinbaum-us-protests-2025
U.S. Department of State. (2024). Foreign Terrorist Organizations. https://www.state.gov/foreign-terrorist-organizations/
White House. (2024, November 5). Executive Order on Immigration Enforcement. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/executive-orders/2024-immigration
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Miami Strategic Intelligence Institute (MSI²).