Raw, Rebellious Take on Unplanned Immigration Raids in LA
By Rachel Uranga, Rebecca Ellis, Clara Harter, Ruben Vives, Seema Mehta
ICE raids in Los Angeles provoke demonstrations, apprehension, and indignation. The sentiment expressed is, "Our community is being targeted."
It was a chaotic Friday in the Fashion District as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted a series of surprising raids on downtown Los Angeles, sparking public outcry and protests from both elected officials and residents.
The enforcement actions were branded as "cruel and unnecessary" by critics, who argued they instilled fear within the immigrant community.
A flashpoint occurred at a clothing wholesaler around 1:30 p.m., as federal immigration authorities rounded up employees and employed flash-bang grenades and pepper spray against the protesting crowd. This escalated into a storm of rage, leading hundreds to rally outside the Los Angeles Federal Building at 4 p.m. condemning the crackdown and demanding the release of Service Employees International Union President David Huerta, who was injured and held captive while documenting the raid.
"Our community is being ripped apart and terrorized," Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), shouted to the incensed crowd of protesters. "These are workers, these are fathers, these are mothers."
Forty-five individuals were administratively arrested, and one person faced charges for obstruction during Friday's ICE operation. Homeland Security Investigations, a branch of ICE, stated that the federal agents had executed four search warrants connected to claims of illegally harboring people at three locations in central LA.
CHIRLA received over fifty calls on its hotline, with reports of ICE encounters in various locales such as schools, parking lots, Home Depot stores and even a doughnut shop, according to Salas. Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California's chief executive, Connie Chung Joe, claimed that immigration enforcement was visiting a school in Koreatown.
L.A. Hotspots Targeted
ICE agents in riot gear detained workers in the Garment District, with bystanders recording the scenes and shouting protests. Meanwhile, Huerta, 58, was treated in a hospital and later transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles.
In a controversial statement, U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli accused Huerta of intentionally obstructing federal agents by blocking their vehicle when they were executing a search warrant at a worksite on Friday morning. Huerta was cited for obstructing federal officers and is set for arraignment on Monday, Essayli said.
Elected officials from Los Angeles at the city, county, state, and federal levels issued numerous statements opposing Huerta's apprehension, criticizing the raids, and expressing dismay over the escalation of deportations under the Trump administration.
"SEIU California President David Huerta was injured by federal agents and held in custody," L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn asserted. "I am demanding his immediate release. This is a democracy. People have the right to peacefully protest, observe law enforcement activity, and speak out against injustice."
Hahn called the raids "harsh," stating that rather than capturing criminals, they were ensnaring hardworking community members trying to support their families. For several hours on Friday, advocates stood outside Ambiance Apparel, providing legal advice to those being held captive within.
"Do not sign anything. Do not tell them where you are from," one stated into a megaphone, drowning out the crowd's noises.
Katina Garcia, 18, pressed her face against the window, anxiously searching for her undocumented father, who had left for work at Ambiance Apparel as usual that morning.
"We never envisaged that this would target us," she expressed, still in shock.
After several hours, a swarm of heavily-armed agents in riot gear approached Ambiance Apparel to confront the crowd that had gathered around. They announced their arrival with sirens on their trucks, accompanied by armored personnel carriers.
"Pigs," one man bellowed during the raucous scene. "Fascists," another echoed.
The agents exiting the shop emerged with more than a dozen individuals, boarding them onto vans. As the armored personnel carriers filled up and moved back in line, the crowd followed suit.
"How do you sleep at night, tearing apart families?" one woman screamed at a stoic agent, demonizing him. "What if they seized your family?"
The vans transporting migrants led the procession, followed by rows of tactical vehicles and trucks. The crowd trailed, recording the scene with their phones above their heads, surrounding the vehicles for at least a block. In the final moments of the confrontation, the agents deployed flash-bang grenades and pepper spray before the protesters dispersed.
A group of eleven L.A. City Council members denounced "indiscriminate targeting of children and families" and vowed to fight for the protection of immigrants.
"We stand together as a city built by immigrants and thriving because of immigrants," the collective declared. "We will not be swayed by fear tactics designed to fuel extreme political agendas sowing discord in our city."
The Los Angeles Police Department and the L.A. County Sheriff's Department issued statements confirming their awareness of the local immigration actions. Both agencies stated they would neither participate in the enforcement of civil immigration laws nor seek to determine an individual's immigration status.
"We ensure our residents that when they call for help, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department will answer, investigate, and protect everyone, regardless of a person's legal status," the department said in a statement.
These escalated immigration actions in Los Angeles occurred as White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller pushed ICE to detain at least 3,000 people every day, meeting President Trump's mandate to carry out the largest deportation effort in history.
Recently, CBS reported that ICE had made 2,000 arrests every day—a significant increase from the daily average of 660 arrests by the agency during Trump's first 100 days back in the White House.
The Los Angeles raids also transpired following several recent enforcement actions in the Southland—including deploying flash-bang grenades at two San Diego restaurants and an underground nightclub in Los Angeles where Chinese and Taiwanese nationals were detained.
On Friday afternoon, U.S. Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, alongside California congressmen Scott Peters and Juan Vargas, demanded an investigation into the tactics used during the San Diego raids, asserting that these questionable practices raised concerns about the appropriateness, proportionality, and execution of ICE actions.
For Further Reading
- Los Angeles suburb defies ICE, holding detainees in its city jail despite sanctuary rules
- ICE Agents decked out in Assault Rifles, toss flash-bangs in trendy San Diego neighborhood, community fights back
- Father seized from family as agents target immigration courts, arresting people after cases dismissed
- The encounters between ICE and immigrants in various locates in California, such as schools, parking lots, and a doughnut shop, have sparked controversy among critics who argue these raids instill fear within the immigrant community, heightening tensions between law and justice.
- In the midst of ongoing debates on immigration policies and politics, elected officials from Los Angeles, at the city, county, state, and federal levels, have voiced their opposition to the recent ICE raids in Los Angeles, calling for justice and the protection of immigrants' rights.
- As the immigration controversy unfolds in California cities like Los Angeles, General-news media outlets continue to report on the effects of these enforcement actions on families, workers, and local communities.
