President Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles County on Saturday as violent anti-ICE protests escalated in the city of Paramount. Clashes broke out between protesters and federal agents during what ICE officials say was a planned deportation operation at a local business.
Over three days, more than 6,000 demonstrators flooded downtown L.A., with around 2,000 shutting down the northbound 101 Freeway. Dozens have been arrested after violent confrontations with ICE agents. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that “violent mobs have attacked ICE Officers and Federal Law Enforcement Agents carrying out basic deportation operations.” The troops are expected to remain for up to 60 days—the first time the National Guard has been deployed without a governor’s approval since 1965.
At the center of the protests is the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), a far-left immigration advocacy group that raises money through an entity called Funraise and is listed on ActBlue’s donation platform. In its 2023 IRS filing, CHIRLA reported nearly $45 million in revenue. Though the filing lacks donor names or ActBlue-specific totals, the group’s involvement in the protests has drawn scrutiny.
In April, President Trump signed a presidential memorandum directing the DOJ to investigate ActBlue for enabling straw donations and illegal foreign contributions. A recent interim report from House Republicans accused the platform of failing to prevent large-scale fraud and flagged internal issues including legal lapses, poor fraud detection, and retaliation concerns. The House Judiciary, Oversight, and House Administration Committees continue to investigate.
