A deep sense of fear and uncertainty swept through the close-knit community in downtown Los Angeles as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted a series of workplace raids on Friday.
These raids impacted over 40 individuals, many of whom were employees at Ambiance Apparel, a company located in the Fashion District.
Carlos Gonzalez received frantic calls warning him about the raid, which led to the arrest of his older brother, Jose Paulino Gonzalez, who had been working at the warehouse for the past two and a half years.
Upon learning about the situation, Carlos rushed to the scene, only to find chaos unfolding around him.
Protesters voiced their outrage, while armed officials executed a federal search warrant to round up employees.
ICE confirmed in an email that they had arrested 44 individuals during the raid, stating the operation was part of their effort to enforce immigration laws and remove individuals classified as “criminal aliens” from communities in Los Angeles.
Carlos described the scene as overwhelming, as he attempted to reach his brother.
He witnessed officials placing chains on his brother, an image that has left him devastated.
“Most people would think that it was very stoic, very calm,” he said.
“But I grew up with him, and I was able to see that he was scared. … I know he was scared.”
In the strained moments that followed, Carlos felt the weight of what his brother was possibly feeling: the fear of being uprooted from the life he had built.
Despite the chaos, Carlos tried to communicate with his brother, but their efforts were drowned out by the turmoil surrounding them.
As dozens of people were bundled into white vans, Carlos remained a powerless observer, feeling a sense of helplessness and desperation.
The people affected by the raid share a common history, as many hail from the same small indigenous Zapotec community in Veracruz, Mexico.
Gabriel Vasquez explained how many workers found their jobs through word of mouth within this interconnected community, highlighting the close relationships that exist among them.
“Someone finds out there’s an opening, and then you tell your sister or your cousin, … and that’s how my brother got his job,” Vasquez told NPR.
For some workers, like Jose Ortiz, the ICE raid came with an uneasy sense of premonition.
Jose, a floor manager at Ambiance Apparel, had been monitoring news reports about immigration raids.
Proud of his 18 years with the company and 30 years in the U.S., he had made efforts to educate himself and others about their rights.
His daughter, Sarai Ortiz, recalled how her father distributed Know-Your-Rights cards at work to help his coworkers stay informed.
In an emotional moment, Sarai remembered that her father memorized her phone number in case he was detained.
Yet, she still hasn’t received any confirmation of his status since his arrest.
Meanwhile, Carlos Gonzalez expressed deep concern about his brother’s attempt to evade capture during the raid.
He has heard from various sources that Jose attempted to hide along with several coworkers, but the effort was unsuccessful.
Carlos noted that if ICE arrived with a comprehensive list of names, that would raise suspicions about the raid’s nature.
“I feel like if it’s just a quick raid or just an unexpected raid, you pick up the people that you can and you leave.
But considering that they made sure to get every last person, that’s kind of, I don’t know, to me, it’s suspicious. Sketchy,” he speculated.
The distress caused by the raid weighs heavily on families like the Gonzalez family, who are struggling to gain clarity on their loved ones’ circumstances.
Carlos’ mother is particularly distraught, while his sister, who lived with their detained brother, is desperately trying to locate him.
They have sought legal assistance, but their efforts to determine where Jose is being held have yielded little information.
On the same day of the raid, Carlos and his sister visited the LA County Jail, where many detainees are traditionally held.
However, they were repeatedly told to return at a later date, as their brother and others were still being processed.
Each return trip was met with continued uncertainty.
On the latest visit, they were informed that Jose had been moved to Santa Ana, but the exact location remains unknown.
Carlos fears that his brother might be transferred to a detention center even further away, possibly out of state.
Additionally, there are pressing concerns regarding how workers will receive their pay, as Friday was a designated payday for many.
The continued uncertainty evokes a sense of helplessness in the tight-knit community, forcing families to grapple with the implications of the raid on their lives and livelihoods.
image source from：https://www.npr.org/2025/06/10/nx-s1-5428568/ice-raids-la-fashion-district-immigration
