By Ricardo Lezama 
In a recent surge of anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sentiment, widespread protests have taken root across the U.S., with cities such as Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Wichita witnessing mass protests. These movements have hit a crescendo in Los Angeles, where major freeways were brought to a standstill with protesters blocking traffic.
Mexican flags adorned the protests for the simple reason that many people acknowledge the basic underpinning of their destitution: US imperialism over Mexican native lands.
The tweets strongly call for disruption, resistance, and a collective uprising against ICE. Atlanta’s protest against ICE brought pride to the community that resides in the city, one Blue Sk user added that this show of support was entirely unexpected:
Protests in #ATL. Thank you, Atlanta. Why aren’t we seeing news of this?
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Protests in #ATL. Thank you, Atlanta. Why aren't we seeing news of this?
— dipipi (no DMs pls) (@dipipi.bsky.social) 2 February 2025 at 16:59
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Low Media Coverage Explanation
Given the size and scope of the protests, many questioned why there was no massive press coverage. The answer for this question lies on the relationship between Donald Trump and Larry Ellison, majority stockholder and founder of Oracle Inc. The cloud provider is in prime position to benefit from a forced sale of Tik Tok to American investors. Trump has even named Larry Ellison as the desired owner of the ByteDance asset. As luck would have it, Larry Ellison owns Paramount, owner CBS news, a major driver of the news cycle nationally.
In their coverage, CBS telecasters don’t even reference Mexico’s president by name so as to not inflate her profile domestically.
Additionally, frivolous lawsuits launched by Trump prior to gaining the presidency have become a means for him to extort cash and favors from corporations. Disney, for example, paid Trump 15 million dollars for coverage that offended him over a civil lawsuit that found him liable for ‘rape’. Similarly, Facebook’s boss, Mark Zuckerberg paid Trump 25 million for a lawsuit surrounding their suspension of his account for hate speech and inciting riots. Ultimately, the account was restored while Zuck donated another million to the inauguration fund.
National Scope
Individuals in Wichita, Kansas have also been-bandied together protesting against both ICE and anti-immigration sentiment, with a strong show of solidarity from the local community. On Sunday, following the protests throughout Atlanta, Kansas based individuals began marching in Wichita’s downtown.
When one protestor was topped by police, a massive crowd chanted for the police to let him go, which they did. The push to level the protections afforded all residents in the United States are increasingly unpopular.
Places like Baton Rouge saw protests in favor of the Louisiana capitol becoming a sanctuary city. The coverage linked is highly against the proposal, but it illustrates that Trump’s agitation is essentially spreading awareness of popular ways to combat ICE’s more draconian measures.