The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) carried out operations at various businesses in Los Angeles on Friday, which led to protests and confrontations at least at one site, resulting in authorities using flash bangs to control the crowds.
Immigration advocates reported that around 45 individuals were detained across seven different locations, including two Home Depot stores, a shop in the fashion district, and a donut establishment, according to Angelica Salas, who heads the Humanitarian Immigration Rights Union (Chirla).
Bystanders and media captured footage of detainees being escorted through the parking lot at a Home Depot. The visuals also revealed tensions between demonstrators and federal agents at the detention sites.
Aerial footage from KTLA depicted agents outside a fashion district clothing store leading a person toward two large white vans. The individual was handcuffed and had their hands secured before being placed into the vehicle.
Agents involved in the operation were clad in vests bearing the labels of FBI, ICE, and HSI (Homeland Security Survey).
In some recordings, agents were seen escaping in various types of vehicles as officers witnessed the crowds reacting with smoke bombs and flash bangs being tossed into the street.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has yet to respond to inquiries regarding the operations conducted on Friday.
HSI spokesperson Yasmeen Pitts O’Keefe indicated to the Los Angeles Times that the federal agents were executing search warrants related to illegal immigration activities.
In the meantime, both local and state officials expressed their concerns about the federal operations that unfolded.
Salas voiced a sense of fear in the community, saying, “Our community is under attack and is terrified. These are workers, these are fathers, these are mothers, this has to stop.” She further insisted that immigration enforcement practices causing anxiety must end.
While police units were present at the protest, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell clarified that his department was not part of any civil immigration enforcement actions. He stated, “LAPD is not involved with immigration enforcement,” emphasizing a policy that has been in place since 1979 that prevents police from instigating law enforcement actions solely to check individuals’ immigration status.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass expressed her discontent with the federal actions during a press conference, labeling them as fear-inducing tactics that undermine the foundational principles of safety. “We’re an immigrant city, and this will affect hundreds of thousands of Angelenos,” she remarked.
Senator Alex Padilla described the ongoing immigration enforcement actions as “extreme and cruel,” suggesting these activities are part of a broader pattern of reckless federal behavior toward immigrant communities.
