Violent protests in downtown Los Angeles over recent federal immigration enforcement operations have cost the city nearly $20 million so far, the city’s accountant announced on June 16.

Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia tallied up the latest costs related to the June protests and released a video explaining the numbers.

“The estimated preliminary cost so far through June 16 is $19.7 million,” Mejia said.

The demonstrations against U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Los Angeles started on June 6 and continued throughout the following week before diminishing on the 10th day.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass instituted a curfew in the downtown area last week to quell an outbreak of violence that resulted in the torching of Waymo cars, homemade explosives being launched at law enforcement, large-scale looting of shops and stores, and widespread graffiti.

“The graffiti that is just blanketing a number of blocks has been extensive,” Bass said in a news conference on June 11.

Bass called on business, community, and faith leaders to come together to discuss how to clean up the city ahead of World Cup events scheduled through July 10. The mayor posted a video showing her helping to remove graffiti from one wall on June 13.

About 87 percent of the estimated total cost relates to the Los Angeles Police Department, which totaled $17.2 million, Mejia said.

Public property damage and cleanup cost the city another $1.2 million. Of that, $86,000 was attributed to graffiti removal costs.

Anti-ICE graffiti sprayed on the walls of a federal building in Los Angeles on June 8, 2025. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

According to the city controller, the total does not include the cost of future lawsuits or liability claims for the city.

Los Angeles became the subject of 55 lawsuits following protests in 2020, including a demonstration for George Floyd, who was killed on May 25, 2020. The city has paid out $20 million so far, with 21 cases still pending, Mejia said.

That total payout included 28 lawsuits that were settled for $13.2 million.

Six lawsuits also went before a jury, with the city winning two and losing four.

The four cases lost related to injuries from the use of less lethal munitions, including $3.75 million for a lacerated finger, $1.3 million for a bruising injury, $1.2 million for a head cut, and $860,000 for a head injury.

Los Angeles Police Department officers kneel during a rally led by Baptist Ministers to City Hall in memory of George Floyd, on June 2, 2020. The city has paid $20 million so far in settling lawsuits resulting from the 2020 riots. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

People affected by the protests can file liability claims with the city clerk and the city attorney’s office, Mejia said.

At the federal level, the cost of deploying 700 Marines and the National Guard during the protests to protect federal officers and property was estimated to be about $134 million, according to a top Pentagon official.

Department of Defense Acting Controller Bryn Woollacott MacDonnell told lawmakers on June 10 that the expense was “largely just the cost of travel, housing, and food,” and the money would come from operations and maintenance accounts.

According to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the federal deployment was scheduled to last for 60 days.