We Now Know the LA Riots Were Bought and Paid For

Jeff Charles | June 13, 2025 12:15 PM

We now have more information on how the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles are being funded, thanks to a new report.

Federal authorities have already indicated they are investigating the source of the funding the rioters and protesters have received. But a Fox News report appears to confirm what many have already speculated: Someone is pouring oodles of cash into these operations.

Crowds on Demand, a California-based company that specializes in providing on-demand crowds for protests, told Fox News Digital it received "numerous high budget requests" to get involved with the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles and other cities but declined to participate.
A company spokesperson said it declined to get involved in what is happening in Los Angeles because it did "not want to get close to any form of illegal activity, including violence, vandalism or blocking off roads without a permit."
"We receive inquiries regarding practically every major social cause imaginable, and the anti-ICE demonstrations are no exception," the company said. "The fact that we receive requests does not mean we take them, in many cases, because the budget does not match the ambition."
The company added it only takes on "impactful commonsense causes both for liberals and conservatives, but always represent(s) the commonsense position."
"Even organizing peaceful demonstrators around this issue (anti-ICE) could put those demonstrators at risk due to the presence of violent agitators and the difficulty for law enforcement in distinguishing between peaceful and violent activists," the company said.

Much of the focus has been on an organization called the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), an advocacy group that is believed to be the impetus of the protests in Los Angeles.

Who funds the California riots? The director for Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) called for the riots! In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, CHIRLA took in $45 million; $34 million of that came from the State of California in the form of government contracts. pic.twitter.com/np0iHAlwmn
— David W Menefee (@davidwmenefee) June 10, 2025

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, also announced an investigation into the source of the protesters’ funding. He sent a letter to the executive director of CHIRLA, noting that protesters “have obstructed federal law enforcement, endangered public safety, and disrupted the rule of law.”

Labor unions in California are drawing partisan lines in the sand, announcing their allegiance to CHIRLA. pic.twitter.com/Mjeu0utoT9
— Laura Powell (@LauraPowellEsq) June 12, 2025

He added: “This lawlessness is unacceptable. It must end.”

Hawley further accused the organization of providing “logistical support and financial resources to individuals engaged in these disruptive actions” and asserted that “bankrolling civil unrest is not protected speech. It is aiding and abetting criminal conduct.”