An illegal migrant pleaded guilty Wednesday to throwing a Molotov cocktail at authorities amid the anti-immigration enforcement riots that swept Los Angeles.
Emiliano Garduno-Galvez, a previously deported 23-year-old Mexican national, pleaded guilty to possessing an unregistered destructive device and civil disorder for his actions on June 7 in an LA suburb, according to a plea agreement first obtained by the Los Angeles Times. The illegal migrant is scheduled to be sentenced in January and faces up to 15 years in prison.
Galvez admitted to lighting and throwing a Molotov cocktail over a wall where Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) deputies were attempting to control a crowd of protesters in Paramount, California, according to federal prosecutors. A violent crowd had gathered in the area earlier that day to protest federal immigration enforcement activity.
ICE identified and arrested Galvez on June 9, and federal prosecutors charged him with attempted murder. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revealed that, not only was Galvez a previously deported illegal migrant, he’d also previously been arrested by the Anaheim Police Department for grand theft, and by the Long Beach Police Department for a DUI.
It turns out that Emiliano Garduno-Galvez — the Mexican national charged with attempted murder after throwing a Molotov cocktail at federal officers during the violent riots in Los Angeles — already had a criminal record.
Last year, he was arrested twice by local police… pic.twitter.com/MaV9ZdwWkp
— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) June 12, 2025
“Emiliano Garduno-Galvez is a criminal illegal alien from Mexico who threatened the lives of federal law enforcement officers by attacking them with a Molotov cocktail during the violent riots in Los Angeles,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a public statement at the time. “These are the types of criminal illegal aliens that rioters are fighting to protect.”
On June 9, 2025, ICE agents in Los Angeles arrested Emiliano Garduno-Galvez—an illegal alien from Mexico—for attempted murder after he threw a Molotov cocktail at law enforcement during the Los Angeles riots.
Garduno-Galvez had previously been deported. He has a previous… pic.twitter.com/kT4ZszQBSx
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) June 11, 2025
Anti-ICE protests in LA — a city with official policies prohibiting cooperation between ICE agents and local officials — began taking over earlier in June in response to the Trump administration’s crackdown and quickly escalated into full-scale riots. The mayhem largely began when more than 1,000 rioters surrounded a federal building, defaced government property, assaulted agents, and slashed tires, ICE confirmed at the time.
Hundreds of individuals were arrested amid the chaos, which caused millions in damage to the city. However, the widespread protests did not stop ICE from conducting its mission, with DHS celebrating its 5,000th arrest in LA earlier in August.
“That’s 5,000 criminal illegal aliens, gang members, child predators, and murderers taken off our streets. Precious lives saved. Families protected. American taxpayers spared the cost of their crimes AND the burden of their benefits,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said of the ongoing LA busts.
The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation about Galvez’s guilty plea.
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