CEO reveals signs of paid troublemakers in violent protests against ICE

Amid rising tensions over the individuals responsible for the violent anti-ICE protests, a company based in California specializing in providing on-demand crowds for protests has highlighted key ways to distinguish between hired demonstrators and regular protesters.

“We get inquiries related to almost every major social issue imaginable, including the anti-ICE protests,” shared Adam Swart, the CEO and founder of Crowds on Demand, with Fox News Digital. “Receiving requests doesn’t necessarily translate to accepting them, particularly when the budget doesn’t align with the scope of the project.”

Swart mentioned that while they have received a number of high-budget requests for the anti-ICE protests, they have turned down these offers because they aim to steer clear of any involvement in illegal activities such as violence, destruction of property, or unauthorized blockades of roads.

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.”

A demonstrator waves an American and Mexican flag during a protest in Compton, California, on Saturday, June 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

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.

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report. 

Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to [email protected]