LOS ANGELES— According to officials, federal immigration agents raided three sites across the city on Friday. This “chaotic” action was quickly criticized by local lawmakers, but L.A. police did not respond directly.
“Today, ICE officers and agents, along with partner law enforcement agencies, carried out four federal search warrants at three locations in central Los Angeles,” the Homeland Security Investigations said in a statement.
As federal officers rushed into buildings, they were often seen in camouflage and bulletproof vests with their faces covered. Soon, protesters and supporters showed up, making the whole city tense.
In at least one of the places where witnesses said it happened, tear gas was used to clear the way for federal police to take in the prisoners.
The HSI statement said that “about 44 people” were administratively arrested and one person was taken on a charge of obstruction.
Gov. Gavin Newsom spoke out strongly against the raids.
“Continued chaotic federal sweeps, across California, to meet an arbitrary arrest quota are as reckless as they are cruel,” Newsom said in a tweet. “Donald Trump’s chaos is eroding trust, tearing families apart, and undermining the workers and industries that power America’s economy.”
David Huerta, President of SEIU California and a spokesperson for about 750,000 service workers across the state, was one of the people jailed. Bill Essayli, the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California in Los Angeles, said that he was arrested by federal police at the scene of one of the raids.
“On purpose, David Huerta blocked their access by blocking their vehicle,” he said on X Friday night. “He was arrested for getting in the way of federal officers and will be arraigned in federal court on Monday.”
Based on what the labor union said, Huerta was freed from the hospital on Friday afternoon after being taken there for unknown reasons. A statement said that he was still being held as of early Friday evening. People in the union said that when he was arrested, he was “exercising his First Amendment right to observe and record law enforcement activity.”
Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles went to see Huerta in the hospital and then talked to Los Angeles.
“He is doing OK physically, but I know what really impacted him the most was the emotional trauma of watching parents and kids being separated,” she added.
One of the places that government agents went to was Ambiance Apparel in the city’s Fashion District, which makes, imports, and sells clothes.
The agents carried out a search warrant and said they were looking for “fake employee documents.”
On Friday, a spokesman for Ambiance Apparel could not be reached right away for comment.
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., said that the action by ICE was “part of a disturbing pattern of harsh and extreme immigration enforcement.”
“These random raids show once more that the Trump administration only wants to hurt and scare our communities to push immigrants into hiding,” Padilla, who was born in Los Angeles and is the son of Mexican immigrants, said in a statement.
They both made it clear right away that their employees had nothing to do with the government action: Chief of Police Jim McDonnell and Sheriff Robert Luna.
In a statement, McDonnell said, “Today the LAPD learned that ICE was operating in the City of Los Angeles.” “I’m aware that these actions cause anxiety for many Angelenos, so I want to make it clear: the LAPD is not involved in civil immigration enforcement.”
People’s City Council shared a video on social media that shows LAPD police outside of Ambiance Apparel. A request for feedback from the department did not get a response right away.
Luna agreed that raids “have caused fear,” but he told the people who live there to “remain calm and peaceful as we continue to put your safety and well-being at the top of our efforts.”
Several immigrant rights groups held a protest in central Los Angeles on Friday afternoon to show their anger over the raids and Huerta’s arrest.
According to news video and pictures shared on social media that News checked, federal agents stood guard outside the Metropolitan Detention Center while protesters yelled. They eventually fired less-lethal rounds to clear the area in front of the building.
Before the raids, Yvonne Wheeler, head of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, spoke nearby and called them an attack on working-class L.A.
“Today was a dark day in Los Angeles,” she noted. “This administration is cruel and inhumane.”
People at the protest held signs that said “Stop Deportations,” and some shouted “Free David, free them all,” which was a reference to Huerta and the migrants who were being held. A Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles representative said that about 1,000 people had shown up after the group asked followers to join them downtown.
Officer Drake Madison of the LAPD said that they did not yet know how many people had been arrested as protesters marched to the grounds of the holding center and the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building.
The temporary stage was also taken by Ysabel Jurado, a member of the Los Angeles City Council, who spoke out against the raids happening during Pride Month and graduation season.
“It was a calculated attempt to take joy from our community,” she stated. “I’m really sad. I’m ready to fight, though.
She was one of 11 council members from the city who spoke out against the federal move.
“This indiscriminate targeting of children and families not only harms the individuals who are directly impacted, but destroys our communities’ sense of trust and safety in their own homes,” lawmakers said in a joint statement.
It goes without saying that we are against this. Los Angeles was built by immigrants and thrived because of immigrants. We will not give in to extreme political goals that use fear to try to win votes and cause trouble in our city.
