Protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and President Donald Trump’s immigration policies have escalated in downtown Los Angeles, prompting a response from the National Guard and hundreds of Marines to control the situation.
As these demonstrations unfolded over the past few days, a Craigslist ad in the Los Angeles area became the focal point of controversy. Many observers are suggesting that the ad serves as evidence that protesters are being compensated for their participation, but the individual responsible for the listing has since claimed it was merely a prank intended for a podcast.
The ad, which surfaced on the Los Angeles Craigslist forum for general labor jobs, sought to recruit “the toughest bad***es in the city,” offering weekly pay ranging from $6,500 to $12,500.
It read, “We are forming a select team of THE TOUGHEST dudes in the area. This unit will be activated only when the situation demands it — BUT YOU GET PAID EVERY WEEK NO MATTER WHAT.”
The post continued with bold claims about needing individuals who are capable of performing under intense pressure, stating, “High-pressure, high-risk, no room for hesitation. We need individuals who do not break, panic, or fold under stress and are basically all around kick*** dudes.”
Interestingly, the listing specified a preference for candidates with military experience, while explicitly excluding Marines, mentioning, “except for Marines, we don’t work with Marines anymore, long story.”
The timing of this Craigslist post coincided with a wave of protests that erupted a day later in downtown Los Angeles, as demonstrators rallied against a series of ICE raids that had occurred throughout the region.
The protests continued into the weekend and beyond, affecting areas not only in Los Angeles but also in Paramount and Orange County. In response to the unrest, President Trump has deployed the National Guard and several paratroopers to assist law enforcement in managing the crowds.
In a counter-move, California Governor Gavin Newsom has initiated legal action against the Trump administration concerning the deployment of troops, though a federal judge dismissed Newsom’s request to halt this military presence on Tuesday.
Despite the ad’s dubious timing, it has been clarified that it was not connected to the protests over immigration policies but was instead a prank.
Joey LaFleur, the individual behind the Craigslist ad, hosts a prank show called “Goofcon1.” LaFleur expressed to the Associated Press that he did not anticipate the ad being associated with the protests, referring to it as an odd coincidence.
On a livestream the following day, he revealed that he had also posted a similar ad in a forum targeting the Austin, Texas area.
Amid the unfolding events, President Trump took to his Truth Social account. He simply posted the phrase “paid insurrectionists,” in the midst of numerous comments about the ongoing protests in LA.
The relationship between Trump’s comments and the Craigslist ad remains unclear, but social media users have shared screenshots of the listing, positing that it is proof of paid participants in demonstrations.
“JUST ANNOUNCED: CALIFORNIA RIOT IS A FUNDED OPERATION,” read one post on social media, suggesting that “President Trump was right about everything.”
In an Instagram story addressing the unintended consequences of the Craigslist ad, LaFleur remarked, “Accidentally goofed the entire nation on the latest @goofcon1.”
As tensions rise and the protests continue, the intersection of social media, political discourse, and humor has certainly added a layer of complexity to the ongoing immigration debates.
image source from：https://www.foxla.com/news/los-angeles-ice-protest-craigslist-paid-protesters-ad
