The rideshare company Waymo is suspending services in Los Angeles amid the anti-ICE riots. Multiple Waymo cars were vandalized and set on fire in Los Angeles on Sunday, as anti-ICE protests escalated across the city.
“We do not believe our vehicles were intentionally targeted, but rather happened to be present during the protests,” the spokesperson said in an email.
Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet (Google’s parent company), is a leading autonomous driving technology company, and was spun out of the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2016.
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Aerial footage reportedly shows the electric, self-driving cars engulfed in flames with sparks shooting out from one vehicle. Another video shows the aftermath with the charred metal remains of five Waymo vehicles splayed across a Los Angeles street.
The riots in LA have been escalating with crowds clashing with ICE officials as well as the police, vandalism and destruction of property is also being observed.
“Burning lithium-ion batteries release toxic gases, including hydrogen fluoride, posing risks to responders and those nearby,” the LAPD said in a statement posted on X.
Waymo operates commercial robotaxi services, Waymo One, in several U.S. cities including Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin, with plans for further expansion. These fully autonomous vehicles offer a ride-hailing experience without a human safety driver. Waymo is also exploring partnerships with automakers like Hyundai to integrate its technology into future production vehicles.
Waymo’s technology, known as the Waymo Driver, utilizes a sophisticated suite of sensors including lidar, cameras, and radar, combined with advanced AI and machine learning, to perceive the environment, predict behavior, and navigate safely. They’ve accumulated tens of millions of miles driven on public roads and billions more in simulation.
Protests in California’s capital reportedly began Saturday after ICE raids in the Los Angeles Fashion District, and escalated on Sunday following President Trump’s decision to deploy at least 300 U.S. National Guard troops to the city — a move California Gov. Gavin Newsom has called illegal.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement condemning the immigration raids, saying, “these tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city.”
The LAPD has advised businesses in the area to report any damage to the police. “Please photograph all vandalism and damage prior to clean up,” the department posted on its X account.
What is ICE?
ICE stands for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It is a federal law enforcement agency operating under the Department of Homeland Security. Established in 2003, it’s a key component of the post-9/11 reorganization of U.S. security agencies.
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ICE’s core mission is to protect the United States from transnational crime and illegal immigration. It accomplishes this through two main divisions: Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which tackles crimes like human trafficking and financial fraud, and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), responsible for apprehending, detaining, and deporting undocumented immigrants.
ICE enforces a vast array of federal statutes, focusing on customs violations, immigration laws, and terrorism prevention. Its activities, particularly immigration enforcement and deportations, are often the subject of intense public debate due to their significant social and humanitarian impacts.