Why LA Protesters Prefer the Mexican Flag

The Stars, The Stripes, and the Salsa: Why LA Protesters Prefer the Mexican Flag (And Other Patriotic Confusions) By the Bohiney Magazine Editorial Cabal, Allegedly Human Viva Los Protestos: Los Angeles Waves the Wrong Flag (or the Right One, Depending on Yelp Reviews) At a protest in Los Angeles this week, observers witnessed a shocking and totally not ironic act of political expression: thousands of marchers waving the Mexican flag in protest of U.S. immigration policy. And not the tiny cocktail-stick ones either—these were full-sized, wind-defiant, triple-stitched polyester warlords of nationalism. If protest signs are the napkins of civil unrest, the Mexican flag is now its monogrammed hand towel. Why the sudden embrace of another country’s banner? According to protesters: it’s a complex statement of heritage, colonial trauma, labor solidarity, and the fact that American flags are currently out of stock on Amazon unless you have Prime. Identity Crisis or Just Tuesday in L.A.? Eyewitnesses confirmed that the flag-wavers ranged from legal immigrants to DACA recipients to a guy named Kyle who works at a Silver Lake vape bar and claims to be “culturally Aztec.” Said Kyle, adjusting his artisan feather headdress, “It’s about vibes, not borders.” Dr. Hector Quintero, professor of Ethnic Studies at Cal State Los Angeles, offered insight: “Waving the Mexican flag is a performative dialectic, a liminal confrontation with geopolitical hegemony—also, red just pops better on camera.” The American flag, by contrast, evokes police, ICE, and the Home Depot parking lot—symbols that do not lend themselves to “solidarity TikToks.” Parade or Protest? Depends on Your Cable News Subscription While Fox News labeled the march a “Reckless Invasion, Part II: Cinco de Takeover,” MSNBC called it a “Living Mural of Generational Resilience.” CNN asked if anyone could locate a bipartisan mariachi band. Meanwhile, Univision simply aired a telenovela titled El Sueño Americano: Pero Sin ICE. The media, much like a toddler watching a magician, was simultaneously delighted, confused, and suspicious that something disappeared. YouTube was flooded with titles like: “L.A. Declares Independence from America – Again” “Why Mexifornia Is No Longer Satire” “Taco Trucks: Vanguard of the Revolution?” The Protester Breakdown: Who’s Waving What? According to a study by the Institute for Geo-Emotional Protest Analytics (IGEPA), the flags were divvied up as follows: Mexican Nationals: Flying the flag because, well, it's theirs. Chicanos: Reclaiming heritage while wearing Target jeans. White Progressives: Flying it to apologize for colonialism they read about yesterday. Hipsters: Waving it ironically. Or unironically. It’s unclear. Gangs: Misreading the protest as a futbol match. Hollywood Agents: Just scouting for the next Eva Longoria biopic. What the Funny People Are Saying “Nothing says ‘we want to be American’ like waving another country’s flag and yelling in Spanish.” — Bill Burr“I haven’t seen this much confusion about identity since my ex thought he was both a Capricorn and a ‘crystal empath.’” — Ali Wong“Los Angeles is where you get deported emotionally, not physically.” — Dave Chappelle“If we lose Texas again, do we have to give up Whataburger?” — Ron White“You can’t blame them. Have you seen the new U.S. flag designs? One of them looks like an expired food label.” — Jerry Seinfeld Patriotic Gymnastics: How to Love a Country You Fear Will Deport You In interviews with protest attendees, one woman named María explained, “I love America, but I also love Mexico. It’s like having divorced parents—one gives you opportunity, the other gives you good food and knows how to dance.” A man in a Dodgers jersey chimed in, “I fly both flags. It's like bilingual patriotism.” Experts call this phenomenon “Dual-Fidelity Nationalism,” a growing trend among immigrants and college students who feel the need to simultaneously honor their heritage and keep their landlords calm. Flag Politics: The Fabric of Irony Conservatives erupted on social media with calls to “ban foreign flags at American protests,” only to realize their own trucks had Confederate flags, Punisher skulls, and various medieval crosses that no longer match the couch. One senator tweeted: “If you fly another country’s flag here, you should GO THERE!” But his tweet included an Irish flag emoji for no clear reason, and his bio mentioned “proud of my Italian roots.” Irony Watch: The GOP Responds with Performative Confusion Republican spokespeople held a press conference where they displayed an American flag so large it required its own zip code, while simultaneously praising Hungary, Poland, and occasionally Russia—countries they now call “freedom-forward.” Tucker Carlson, now broadcasting from an undisclosed Eastern Orthodox monastery in Idaho, stated, “The only flag Americans should fly is the one Jesus personally handed to Thomas Jefferson in 1776.” Protest Sign Gallery: The Greatest Hits “No ICE in Our Horchata” “I’m More American Than Walmart” “Build the Taco Trucks, Not the Wall” “Make America Mexico Again (but with WiFi)” “Born Here, Deported Anyway” “Red, White & Muy Caliente” “Legal But Still Nervous” “I Got 99 Problems and Citizenship Paperwork is All of Them” “If You Deported Everyone Flying This Flag, Taco Bell Would Collapse” “This Is What the Alamo Feared” March Names You May Have Missed The protests have been unofficially dubbed: La Marcha de las Mil Abuelas Walkout Against White Guilt Appropriation of My Struggle The Guacamole Rebellion Rage Against ICE (feat. Actual Rage and Less Guitar) Keep Your Borders Off My Burrito Meanwhile, in the Suburbs… Local HOA boards in Orange County debated whether flying the Mexican flag violates neighborhood aesthetic rules. One resident filed a formal complaint: “It clashed with my garden gnome collection and my eagle wind chime.” Another said, “If they wave the Mexican flag in protests, what’s next? Bilingual ATMs?!” He was informed those have existed for 20 years. A Cultural Symbol or Just Really Good Fabric? While some protesters describe the Mexican flag as a “symbol of resistance,” others noted its superior color coordination compared to Old Glory, which has too many stars for most T-shirt designs. “I can turn this into a dress for Coachella,” one fashion student explained. White Liberals Doing Interpretive Guilt Dances A viral video showed a group of white protest allies attempting an interpretive dance to La Bamba while holding hands and whispering “abolish borders” into sage bundles. One sprained an ankle trying to twerk on top of a VW bus. Later, when asked why they were waving the Mexican flag, a woman named Skylar replied, “Because colonialism… and like, astrology says this is a good week for shedding American baggage.” The Mexican Government Responds: “That’s Not Our Problem” A spokesperson for Mexico’s Foreign Ministry gave a statement: “We’re flattered by the enthusiasm but slightly concerned. We can’t even get clean water to Michoacán—please stop expecting us to lead your protests.” Historians Debate: Is This Reverse Manifest Destiny? Dr. Elena Calderón of Stanford noted that the protest could be seen as “symbolic reverse colonization.” “Instead of the U.S. taking land from Mexico, this is Mexicans taking over U.S. protests,” she said, while sipping a horchata with oat milk. Conclusion: When Borders Are Blurred and Flags Are Fabric The L.A. protests have made one thing clear: in the age of identity, irony, and Instastories, nothing means just one thing. The Mexican flag can be protest, pride, provocation—or simply available at a discount near Olvera Street. Some wave it with tears, others with hashtags. Either way, the symbolism is here to stay, much like the protesters, who aren’t going anywhere unless ICE actually gets funding. Until then, Los Angeles remains a city where nationalism, identity, and protest can all fit on the same overpass. Auf Wiedersehen. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/11/la-protests-mexican-flag-00401663   https://bohiney.com/why-la-protesters-prefer-the-mexican-flag/