MEA urges Indians in Los Angeles to stay safe amid ongoing protests

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday that it is closely monitoring the situation in Los Angeles and noted that it remains in close touch with the community members.

The remarks were made by the Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal during the media briefing.

Answering a query on the situation in Los Angeles, Randhir Jaiswal said, "On the situation in Los Angeles, we are aware of the developments and as you are aware, we take the safety, security, welfare of our citizens abroad with utmost seriousness."

Highlighting that a large number of Indian community members stay in that area, Jaiswal said, "The LA region and California in general it is home to a large community of Indians. We advise all Indian Nationals in the region to take suitable safety precautions. Our Consulate in San Francisco is closely monitoring the situation and remains in close touch with our community members for their welfare".

According to CNN, downtown Los Angeles is now under curfew for a second night as protests continue for a sixth day. It reported that similar protests are now taking place in several places in the US including in New York, Seattle, Chicago, Austin, Las Vegas and Washington, DC.

The protests erupted after US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducted raids across the city, arresting dozens of undocumented immigrants. In response, Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard troops to restore order during the demonstrations.

"A once great American City, Los Angeles, has been invaded and occupied by Illegal Aliens and Criminals. Now, violent, insurrectionist mobs are swarming and attacking our Federal Agents to try and stop our deportation operations, but these lawless riots only strengthen our resolve," US President Donald Trump previously wrote on his Truth Social account.