Demonstrators hold rally to protest Trump policies in downtown Los Angeles

Demonstrators held a rally in downtown Los Angeles Saturday to protest the Trump administration’s policies which they say are failing to protect citizens and immigrant communities.

Protestors said they were denouncing the dismantling of federal departments and programs that support communities in need.

“Even though things are not looking very good, we’ve got to make the best [of it],” said a protestor named Perla who works as a special education assistant for the Los Angeles Unified School District. “Do not cut our medical, do not cut our Social Security, please do not do that. Our kids are in need. Our parents are in need, even our elders.”

Perla said she’s concerned the administration’s focus on cutting federal programs will significantly harm underserved communities.

“We’re here to fight because we cannot settle,” she said. “Trump has changed so many things when he became president. Immigrants, we have our children, our students who are afraid to come in. For parents, we’ve been passing out little purple cards that let them know to not open the door.”

President Donald Trump has made sweeping changes since he began his second term in January. The Elon Musk-led advisory body, the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), has been working to drastically reduce the federal workforce and cut government spending.

At the same time, the Trump Administration has said it will not cut Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits, but instead focus on cracking down on fraud, immigration, international tarriffs and wasteful government spending.