Demonstrators rally in downtown Los Angeles, California, the United States, on May 1, 2025. [Photo by Qiu Chen/Xinhua]

Thousands of people gathered in downtown Los Angeles, U.S. state of California, on Thursday for International Workers' Day rallies and marches, organized by the Los Angeles May Day Coalition, to advocate for workers' and immigrants' rights.

International Workers' Day, also known as May Day in the United Starts, happens every year on May 1. May Day also has American origins. It started after Chicago's 1886 Haymarket Affair where workers joined a national strike advocating for an 8-hour workday.

Typically, May Day protests and rallies in Los Angeles commemorate the achievements of labor unions and workers. This year, the planned demonstrations are expected to become a platform to protest the Trump administration's deportation push aimed at immigrant communities.

Thousands of community organizations, labor unions and human rights activists filled the streets of downtown Los Angeles since Thursday morning, and they were seen with posters, union shirts and banners while workers carried banners at the head of the march, reading "One struggle, One fight - Workers unite."

Yolanda Mims-Reed told local new outlets LAist.com that she was there "to stand in solidarity" for the things "we need to fight for."

"We need fair wages. We need our jobs to not be outsourced. We need immigration rights," she said. "We need them not bringing ICE onto our campuses and we also need decent wages and respect."

Yvonne Wheeler, president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, told LAist that her message was one of unity.

"Immigrants are being deported and workers are under attack, and so we have to stay united and in solidarity with one another," she said. "One fight, one message, one struggle, one fight. Workers are united today."

About a dozen of rallies to honor the International Workers' Day were also held on Thursday in other cities across Southern California.