Brokers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement carried out a chain of raids all over Los Angeles and Southern California in early June 2025, sparking protests in downtown Los Angeles and different towns, together with New York, Chicago and Austin, Texas.
Some demonstrators expressed rising frustration with ICE by means of showcasing the Mexican flag, which has grow to be the defining image of the protests in Los Angeles.
Using the flag has additionally grow to be the topic of intense debate within the media.
Some retailers have depicted the flag as symbolizing ethnic delight, harmony with immigrants and opposition to the Trump management.
Others have known as it the “perfect propaganda” software for Republicans and conservatives, a few of whom have referred to the Mexican flag because the “confederate banner of the L.A. riots.” They level to its use as proof of anarchy and a town taken over by means of immigrants.
However what do American citizens consider protesters waving the Mexican flag, and why?
A lot of our wisdom surrounding this query is in response to the 2006 immigrant rights protests throughout america, which took place in a miles much less politically polarized technology. Moreover, a overwhelming majority of protesters then introduced U.S. flags when put next with different nationwide flags, together with the Mexican flag.
Analysis revealed in 2010 discovered that although the general public used to be much more likely to be troubled by means of protesters waving the Mexican flag than the U.S. flag, that distinction used to be in large part absent if you divided the general public into subgroups, together with white other people, Latinos and immigrants.
To reexamine public attitudes towards protesters waving the Mexican flag, we carried out an internet survey experiment amongst 10,145 U.S. adults in 2016.
As political scientists who focus on Latino politics and immigration-related problems, we examined how publicity to the Mexican flag as opposed to the American flag formed opinion about protests right through Trump’s first presidential marketing campaign in 2016.
We discovered that although a lot of the general public endured to be much less troubled by means of the American flag than the Mexican flag, there have been additionally necessary and in all probability sudden variations in protest attitudes between white American citizens and different racial and ethnic teams.
A demonstrator holds a Mexican flag in entrance of regulation enforcement right through a protest on June 13, 2025, in Los Angeles.
AP Photograph/Wally Skalij
Kind of troubled
Within the find out about, we randomly divided respondents into two teams: a remedy staff and a regulate staff. Respondents within the remedy staff have been proven a picture of protesters waving a Mexican flag. Respondents within the regulate staff have been proven a picture of protesters waving the U.S. flag. After viewing the picture, respondents have been then requested in regards to the extent to which they supported or have been troubled by means of the protests.
General, 41% of the respondents stated they have been troubled by means of protesters waving the Mexican flag, and 28% stated protesters waving the U.S. flag troubled them.
Our effects display necessary variations in opinion between racial and ethnic teams.
White respondents have been much more likely than some other racial and ethnic staff to mention they have been troubled by means of protesters waving Mexican flags. Sixty-nine % of white respondents stated they have been troubled, 31 proportion issues greater than the common of nonwhite respondents.
Alternatively, 51% of white respondents have been additionally troubled by means of the picture of protesters waving U.S. flags. Against this, simply 20% of Latinos, 33% of Black American citizens and 34% of Asian American citizens stated they have been troubled by means of protesters waving U.S. flags.
Put another way, massive majorities of nonwhite respondents have been supportive of unveiling U.S. flags at protests in spite of their extra certain perspectives towards Mexican flags.
What explains racial variations?
When taking a deeper take a look at what reasons American citizens to really feel troubled about protesters waving Mexican flags, some transparent patterns emerge.
On reasonable, older American citizens have been much more likely to be troubled relative to more youthful American citizens. This used to be in particular true for American citizens over 40 years of age when put next with millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, and Gen Z respondents, born between 1997 and 2012.
Alternatively, there are some nuances when inspecting age teams and whether or not they had attended a protest, march or rally within the earlier yr.
Our findings recommend that older American citizens who had now not engaged in protests have been perhaps to be troubled once they noticed photographs of protesters waving Mexican flags. Millennials and Gen Z respondents who participated in a protest have been least more likely to be troubled.
For the reason that this factor intersects nationality, race, ethnicity, gender and citizenship standing, it’s logical that those elements defined why American citizens supported or adverse using Mexican flags at immigration protests.
A girl wearing a flag with main points of america and Mexican flags walks previous contributors of america Marine Corps on June 14, 2025, in Los Angeles.
Cristopher Rogel Blanquet/Getty Pictures
As an example, racial minorities who’ve a more potent sense of ethnic or racial id have been much more likely to be supportive of protesters waving Mexican and U.S. flags. In different phrases, staff id is a robust predictor of reinforce for protests on the whole, without reference to what flag is being flown.
Alternatively, minorities who lack a way of ethnic delight and id have been perhaps to be disappointed once they noticed others expressing their First Modification proper to peaceably compile.
The truth is that contemporary immigration protests around the nation are the primary time most of the Latino formative years who’re voters have participated in these kinds of protests. Any individual underneath age 22 do not have reminiscence of, or been alive right through, the remaining massive pro-immigrant protests in 2006.
The Mexican flag represents greater than nationalistic delight. It represents their oldsters’ heritage, onerous paintings and their binational enjoy as American citizens engaged in politics.
