Tensions flared in Los Angeles on Friday as demonstrators took to the streets in protest of recent federal immigration raids conducted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The ICE operations, which resulted in dozens of arrests, targeted various locations across the city, including an apparel store in the Fashion District, a Home Depot in Westlake, and a clothing warehouse in South Los Angeles.
Witnesses reported seeing caravans of unmarked military-style vehicles and vans filled with uniformed federal agents as they moved throughout the city during the operation.
In reaction to these raids, crowds of protesters gathered outside a jail where some of those detained were believed to be held, raising their voices against ICE actions.
The demonstrators vandalized the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles with anti-ICE graffiti as part of their protest.
To address the growing unrest, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) was deployed to manage the situation.
Equipped with batons and tear gas rifles, LAPD officers confronted the demonstrators after declaring the gathering an unlawful assembly and ordering them to disperse.
In the course of the standoff, some protesters reportedly hurled chunks of concrete at the officers, leading the police to respond with rounds of tear gas and pepper spray.
According to LAPD spokesperson Drake Madison, anyone who resisted the dispersal order faced potential arrest, although the number of arrests made during the confrontation remains unclear.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass denounced the federal immigration raids, highlighting their impact on community safety and the fear they instill among residents.
Mayor Bass stated that these actions sow terror within communities, disrupting the foundational principles of safety within the city.
Caleb Soto, representing the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, informed Al Jazeera that approximately 70 to 80 individuals had been detained, while only a small number of lawyers—three, in total—were granted access to the detention center to provide legal counsel.
Soto labeled the raids chaotic and suggested they exemplify the aim of the Trump administration to instill fear within immigrant communities.
He also pointed out that the ICE agents involved in the raids did not acquire the judicial warrants typically required by U.S. law, which necessitate probable cause as determined by a judge.
The practice of targeting work sites known to host a large number of immigrant workers has led to claims that ICE is acting unconstitutionally.
Soto described how agents use any sign of a person fleeing as ‘reasonable suspicion’ to conduct arrests, further emphasizing the negative implications of such tactics on community safety.
The Los Angeles raids are part of a broader trend observed in several U.S. cities in recent months, reflecting the continued crackdown on immigration under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Since assuming office in January, President Trump has prioritized increased immigration enforcement, pledging to arrest and deport undocumented migrants in record numbers.
In a move that alarmed many, his administration announced in late May its intent to revoke temporary legal status for approximately 530,000 individuals from countries such as Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
image source from：https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/7/police-protesters-clash-in-los-angeles-following-immigration-raids
