AP PHOTOS: Mexican flags at LA protests spark debate over symbolism

By FERNANDA FIGUEROA
Associated Press

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

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Over the past week, a sea of green, white and red Mexican flags have become a fixture of the Los Angeles protests against immigration raids.

The use of Mexican and other Latin American flags during the protests are a form of symbolism many conservatives are calling anti-American — while others argue they are an expression of pride in one’s homeland that could not be more American.

Whether it be United States, Mexican or Palestinian flags, the banners reflect a nation of immigrants whose stories have become intertwined with the story of America, experts say.

Kris Klein Hernández, an assistant professor of history at Connecticut College, said the flying of foreign flags in the U.S. has always brought awareness to the plight of marginalized groups. Their appearance in the latest protests might symbolize solidarity with their native land or social movements that support Americans of Mexican descent, he said.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that those flying Mexican flags at immigration protests were left-wing radicals who attacked law enforcement agents “removing violent, criminal illegal aliens from the city.”

And even fierce Trump critic former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican, expressed his displeasure with the display of non-American flags at immigration protests that have spread to other states.

“Peaceful protests are fine. Violence is not and will only destroy your message,” Kinzinger wrote on X. “American flags or nothing.”

Amid the backlash, many Americans who support the right to protest are encouraging demonstrators to protest against immigration policies with the American flag instead of a foreign one, as way of reclaiming the U.S. flag for all who call the U.S. home.

This underscores just how influential the American flag can be, Hernández said. “What we are seeing … is that people don’t like to see some flags over others,” he said.

Some Latino activists say the Mexican flag is being used by people who were in this land before it was part of the United States. California was part of Mexico until the 1800s. Many Mexican Americans are descendants of people who never crossed a border — instead the border crossed them.

Still, their display of the Mexican flag at protests is being twisted into something it’s not, said Juan Proaño, CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens.

Hector E. Sanchez, president and CEO of “Mi Familia Vota,” a nonprofit focused on mobilizing Latino voters, said Mexicans have been at the forefront of attacks when it comes to immigration — attacks heightened during both of Trump’s campaigns.

Sanchez said he wonders why it’s not called anti-American when some Americans fly Confederate flags next to the U.S. flag.

“We see a lot of flags celebrating cultural history and heritage,” he said. “Why is it that the Mexican community is constantly under attack?”

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This story has been changed to correct former Rep. Adam Kinzinger’s political affiliation. He is a Republican, not a Democrat.