Viral images of Mexican flags at tense immigration protests in Los Angeles prompted the Trump administration to label them an "invasion" and justify deploying the National Guard and stricter crackdowns. Scholars and critiques like Ethnic Studies Associate Professor Álvaro Huerta argue that the flags symbolize cultural identity and solidarity — not foreign allegiance — and that the administration is using them to distort public perception and suppress immigrant communities.

“When you have a flag, that's not a threat,” Huerta says. “They're not the Proud Boys coming armed for an insurrection. The flag is a cultural expression of who they are.This is a free country, and we have that right. If they want to take away that right, just say it's illegal for brown people to wave their flags."

This article was originally published by Newsweek on June 9, 2025.