LOS ANGELES, CA — In response to recent immigration enforcement actions, immigrant rights advocates and labor organizations have announced a planned ‘community stoppage’ set for Tuesday, featuring a 24-hour boycott of various businesses and rallies highlighting the impact of federal immigration raids.
The announcement came during a news conference at MacArthur Park, where the Coalition of Humane Immigrant Rights Los Angeles urged community members to partake in activities supporting individuals and families affected by immigration enforcement.
This initiative follows a recent raid by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security at a Home Depot on Wilshire Boulevard, where agents apprehended approximately 16 individuals after hiding in a Penske truck to target day laborers at the site.
Felipe Caceres, a member of Service Employees International Union Local 721, emphasized the focus of the boycott, stating, “On Tuesday, August 12, 2025, for 24 hours we are reclaiming our power to stop the Trump terror. For 24 hours, we are going to boycott companies. We are going to rally, and we are going to support local businesses and street vendors that support our people.”
Organizers of the ‘Paro Communidad/Community Stoppage’ encouraged participants to boycott businesses such as Home Depot, Target, Walmart, McDonald’s, and Penske, asserting that these companies are complicit in the alleged mistreatment of immigrant workers.
“Boycott Home Depot, McDonald’s and other companies. They are not respecting our rights. They are complicit in these activities. They don’t support immigrant workers,” stated Martha Arevalo, executive director of the Central American Resource Center of Los Angeles.
They also announced a series of rallies throughout the day, calling on residents to join the following events:
– Midnight Fast Food Workers Strike;
– 6 a.m. Community Takeover of MacArthur Park with Coffee Served by ‘Skid Row Coffee’;
– 10 a.m. MacArthur Park Rally and car caravan to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Hall of Administration, led by SEIU 2015; and
– 3:30 p.m. rally at Placita Olvera (Olvera Street) followed by a march to the federal detention center.
The backdrop of this planned stoppage includes aggressive ICE raids that began on June 6, resulting in the arrests of over 2,792 undocumented immigrants across seven counties in and around Los Angeles.
In recent weeks, however, the number of arrests decreased significantly, with Homeland Security reporting fewer than 1,400 arrests in the region last month.
Some immigration experts attribute this decline to a federal court order which imposed restrictions on immigration enforcement operations in the area.
A federal judge recently issued a temporary restraining order that prevents the government from stopping individuals in violation of the Fourth Amendment, requiring them to offer detained individuals access to counsel.
While the federal government has appealed this ruling, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to place a stay on the order last week, suggesting that the courts are beginning to acknowledge the complexity of the ongoing immigration debate.
Despite the restraining order, Wednesday’s Home Depot operation went ahead as planned.
U.S. Attorney for Los Angeles Bill Essayli acknowledged the operation on social media, asserting, “For those who thought immigration enforcement had stopped in Southern California, think again. The enforcement of federal law is not negotiable, and there are no sanctuaries from the reach of the federal government.”
Essayli defended the actions taken during the raid, claiming they were justified under reasonable suspicion protocols.
The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) was among the organizations that filed a lawsuit against the federal government over what they described as ‘roving patrols’ and questionable enforcement tactics.
Angelica Salas, CHIRLA’s executive director, expressed pride in their efforts to drive court decisions that have temporarily restricted aggressive immigration enforcement.
“We’re so proud of the work we did to document all of the abuses that led our courts to say you do need a temporary restraining from the federal agents as they are conducting immigration enforcement throughout the Los Angeles region,” she noted.
Salas emphasized the importance of not only using the legal system to advocate for immigrants’ rights but also mobilizing community support to alter public opinion.
“We’re also asking for corporate accountability because it is not a coincidence that over and over again, we have these raids on Home Depot,” Salas said.
Participants in the stoppage are also encouraged to support local street vendors during the event, purchasing items from them to help provide much-needed relief.
“There’s so many street vendors who feel terrorized, so if you can go to your local street vendor to buy their flowers, buy their food and buy the things that they’re selling because they deserve to have an opportunity in this moment that they are suffering,” Salas urged.
The planned day of action is part of the organizations’ broader ‘Summer of Resistance’ campaign opposing federal immigration enforcement actions.
The movement seeks to empower communities and stand in protest against immigration policies perceived as unjust.
image source from：patch
