Adam Swart, Founder of Crowds on Demand
As tensions rise about who is behind the violent anti-ICE riots, a California-based company that specializes in providing on-demand crowds for protests says there are indicators to spot the difference between hired demonstrators and normal crowds.
"We receive inquiries regarding practically every major social cause imaginable, and the anti-ICE demonstrations are no exception," Adam Swart, the CEO and founder of Crowds on Demand, told Fox News Digital. "The fact that we receive requests does not mean we take them, in many cases because the budget does not match the ambition."
Swart added that they have received "numerous high budget requests" regarding the anti-ICE demonstrations, but declined those offers due to the fact "that they do not want to get close to any form of illegal activity, including violence, vandalism or blocking off roads without a permit."
Swart, who started Crowds on Demand in 2012 when he was a student at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) to "change how advocacy is done," shared how they support causes and how to spot if these protests are tied to other companies and organizations.
Spotting ‘bad actors’
Swart said one way to know the difference between his crowd and those who are hired by other companies is if those "paid protest teams are kept on standby."
"These groups deploy protesters within minutes using geolocation tools and encrypted chats," Swart said.
He added that "only compensated activists move that fast."
Several cars burn on the street during clashes between protesters and police on June 8, 2025, in Downtown Los Angeles.
"Now what you're seeing from the agitators should not be logged in with the broader protest movement, and that is because there is a group of agitators who attach themselves to every cause and use that cause as an excuse to loot, to be violent, and to create disruption," Swart said.
"They do not care about those causes, they merely care about looting and destruction. These are pirates. These are psychopaths, and their behavior should not be tolerated, and their actions should not be used to delegitimize peaceful demonstrators."
Swart said that some of these groups have informants inside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
"Activist groups are (likely) receiving tipoffs about ICE raid locations, allowing them to stage protests before law enforcement even arrives," Swart shared.
"I strongly believe that there are ICE informants who are providing information to demonstrators about the locations of the raids. The reason why I believe that is that there were hundreds of demonstrators that showed up with just a few minutes' notice at the locations of the raids. That is difficult to do," he continued.
Swart said this is all speculation on his part, and he has no specific information on how the riots might be funded.
"While I don't have direct information that the protesters are being paid, I strongly believe that many of the protesters are being compensated," he explained. "How do I know this? Because when you can gather hundreds of people at the wee hours of the morning or the late hours of night with zero notice with just a text message within a 10-minute period, that sounds a lot more like a rapid reaction force than a group of passionate demonstrators."
Swart said to also look out for legal payouts that are "disguised as support."
"Instead of direct cash payments, groups offer expensive legal defense packages and luxury accommodations as a workaround – compensating illegal action without ever calling it that," Swart explained.
Swart said another giveaway is the hotel accommodations that are arranged for violent rioters.
"Expect to see protest leaders put up in boutique hotels ‘awaiting trial.’ It’s a tactic increasingly used to reward aggressive participants without raising legal red flags," he explained.
"It is perfectly acceptable for people to express concern regarding ICE activities and regarding the Trump administration's border policies and immigration policies, but any form of violence, blocking off streets, and vandalism is not only illegal and not only disruptive, but it actually undermines the very cause that they are seeking to promote," Swart said.
Tactical gear is a red flag
Swart said the most important factor to determine whether these rioters are being funded is the use of tactical gear.
"Another tip that these guys are funded is the fact that they have tactical gear. Tactical gear is extremely expensive and the fact they're passing out hundreds of tactical gear uniforms is an indication that there's some money. Who is funding these groups?" Swart questioned.
Law enforcement during a protest in Paramount, California, on Saturday, June 7, 2025.
"The only reason you need tactical gear is if you're purposefully going into a situation where you're trying to create a riot," he added.
Swart said the fact that they are able to pass out expensive tactical gear at a moment's notice is a clear sign that something is off.
"We need to look at the entire paper trail. I want to know who is paying for the tactical gear. Who is paying for the Molotov cocktails? And go back from there," he said.
"Because when you look into that from a crime perspective, you can understand very quickly whether there is any foreign country involved or whether there's a billionaire involved or whoever. And we need to move very quickly to understand who are the forces that are trying to undermine this country."
California lawmakers need to address real issue
Swart said that what these violent protests are doing is turning people away from the cause and deterring the public from wanting to support their mission.
"Blocking streets is not the way you do that, you know? The way you do that is respectful advocacy, communication, and it's hard to say Trump is the agent of chaos when it's people who are on your side who are throwing Molotov cocktails, blocking streets and preventing access for single moms getting to work to pick up their kids. That doesn't sound like liberal values to me," Swart said.
With their positions in power, Swart urged Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass to get in front of the mess and restore law and order.
"If you arrest people for violence, but then they're put back on the street in two hours, they will continue violence. If the ultimate penalty for violent offenders is some sort of diversion program with a few-hundred-dollar fine, then there will be more violence," Swart explained. "So the reality is, until you increase the penalties for violence, until you have mass arrests, then nothing will change in the state of California."
"Gavin Newsom knows what people want. He just doesn't think they deserve it. He's kind of like this symbol of what's wrong with the Democratic Party, because he preaches a lot, but he never practices," Swart said. "He never practices anything he preaches, and it's really a sad state of affairs that he has left it (California) in."
GOP lawmaker launches investigation into anti-ICE riots
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., launched an investigation into a left-wing group in California that he says may be financially supporting violent protests in Los Angeles.
Swart said an investigation is absolutely necessary, because the rioters are most likely being funded by someone.
A demonstrator waves an American and Mexican flag during a protest in Compton, California, on Saturday, June 7, 2025.
Hawley wrote a letter to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) last week, saying the organization may have an "alleged role in financially and materially supporting" protests and riots in Los Angeles, which he described as "coordinated."
"Who is funding the LA riots? This violence isn’t spontaneous. As chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime & Terrorism, I’m launching an investigation to find out," Hawley said in a post on X.
The letter, addressed to CHIRLA Executive Director Angelica Salas, notes that "credible reporting" has indicated that the organization has provided "logistical support and financial resources to individuals engaged in these disruptive actions."
"Let me be clear: bankrolling civil unrest is not protected speech. It is aiding and abetting criminal conduct. Accordingly, you must immediately cease and desist any further involvement in the organization, funding or promotion of these unlawful activities," Hawley wrote in the letter.
CHIRLA did not respond to a request for comment.
Hawley told Fox News Digital that the Senate committee was sending out several letters to a number of organizations in question.
Swart added that what is concerning to him in all this is why these "very wealthy billionaires" are allegedly funding the riots in LA.
"There are a lot of wealthy left-wing billionaires that are funding it, and their motives are uncertain, which is why I think that it has to be in coordination with hostile foreign regimes, because there's no benefit to creating chaos on the streets for this country," Swart shared. "You have to look at what if they have a financial motive, or they have a sort of foreign corrupt motive, right? Because these foreign countries are always seeking to undermine our system."
"There has to be a clear separation between funding peaceful advocacy and funding violent agitation, and we need to find very quickly who is behind the violent agitation," Swart said.
ICE did not respond to a request for comment.
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