Los Angeles, California

It seems that if the Trump administration wanted to highlight local resistance against federal agents apprehending undocumented individuals, Tuesday night was a fitting occasion to showcase that. But instead, people flocked to the federal building downtown to celebrate Mexico’s Independence Day after a modest group of around 100 protesters gathered at MacArthur Park outside the Mexican Consulate. A far-left group coordinated the event and shared it on social media, though the promotional flyers didn’t circulate as broadly as in previous demonstrations, likely due to the day’s significance.

Insider sources mentioned to a news outlet that the Los Angeles Police Department, which keeps tabs on online discussions during unrest, felt there was no need for tactical alerts in the downtown area due to the small turnout.

This low turnout might come as a surprise, especially following the intense protests that erupted in Los Angeles against immigration enforcement. In June, the federal building had seen days of protests with thousands in attendance. Conversely, on U.S. Independence Day, a significant crowd gathered on a day when federal agents were present to safeguard the building.

Interestingly, the turnout on Tuesday could reflect a waning interest in participating in civil unrest, which was echoed by attendees in Chicago who have been ramping up immigration enforcement projects recently, something dubbed Operation Midway Blitz.

While border patrol agents have been dispatched to Chicago to bolster operations, arrests of undocumented immigrants continue in various locations across Southern California.