The White House on June 11 said that 330 immigrants had been arrested in Los Angeles since ICE raids began on June 6.
When the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) launched raids in several Southern California communities on June 6, Angelenos swiftly took to the streets in protests for its status as a sanctuary city. Over a week later, protests continue throughout a city under curfew, facing Marines and the National Guard in a battle between federal law and state sovereignty.
Though the official number remains unclear, the White House on June 11 said that 330 immigrants had been arrested in Los Angeles since ICE raids began on June 6.
Tens of thousands of Angelenos have protested in the streets since the raids began on local businesses across LA. Some have used the protests for vandalism and attacks against police vehicles and officers.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly supported and defended the ICE raids and has activated the National Guard and U.S. Marines for maintaining order as they ensue.
The clash between Gov. Gavin Newsom and Trump, through interviews, briefings and social media, has been nonstop since the raids began. Trump has said he would support the arrest of Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass after border czar Tom Homan said he would arrest anyone who obstructs enforcement. Both Newsom and Bass have called for the federal government to stop ICE raids in Southern California.
Newsom dared Trump to arrest him in an interview with MeidasTouch, a liberal activist media group, on June 9.
“I told the president, just get it over with, arrest me, move on,” Newsom said. “If you need some head to scalp, do it with me — but stop messing with these kids.”
Newsom sued Trump’s use of the National Guard and, on June 12, District Judge Charles Breyer said Trump’s guard activation violated the 10th Amendment of the Constitution, ordering them returned to Newsom’s control by the following day. However, a few hours later, an appeals court put the order on hold until a hearing on Tuesday, June 17. Until then, they will continue under Trump’s command facing protesters in Downtown LA, as of the weekend.
“Destroying not only the foundations of our democracy, the best again of the Roman Republic and Greek Democracy, but now our economy is at risk because of the recklessness and cruelty of Donald Trump,” Newsom said on June 12. “The indiscriminate cruelty of Donald Trump.”
The city has an 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew in effect, and as of June 10, the LAPD is on “tactical alert,” activating a departmentwide operational posture, allowing for the reallocation of officers rapidly, holdover shifts as needed and prioritizing major incidents. It’s also extended watch hours, deferred days off and alerted off-duty officers for potential deployment. LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell has disputed the claim that the department wants the National Guard in Los Angeles.
“Our priority is simple,” McDonnell said during a June 10 press conference. “Keep both the public and law enforcement officers safe and to maintain order. To the public, we fully support your right to peacefully protest, but let me be absolutely clear: Those who choose to incite violence, engage in vandalism or graffiti, and/or attack officers will be arrested. There is no tolerance for criminal activity under the guise of protest.”
Alongside Newsom’s stalwart opposition, Bass has also called for the end of immigration raids in Los Angeles. In a press conference on June 12, she stood with more than 100 labor, immigrant rights, business and community groups, calling Los Angeles a “city of dreamers” and denouncing claims that “our city is a city of mayhem.”
“If you support the immigrant community, you know how to do it in a peaceful manner,” Bass said. “We are proud to say that we have well-established, well-respected immigrant rights organizations that have been holding protests for years and years that have never devolved into violence. To characterize what is going on as our city is a city of mayhem is just an outright lie. I’m not going to call it an untruth. I’m not going to sugarcoat it. I’m going to call it for what it is, which is a lie.”
The day before, she was joined by more than 20 mayors and local officials from across Southern California, calling for an end to federal immigration raids throughout the region. The federal government is trying to cause fear and panic, she said, when it raids Home Depots and workplaces, tears parents and children apartment and deploys troops in the street.
The belief was echoed by Mayor Peggy Lemons of Paramount, who called the raids a “shameful destruction of people’s lives who have been here for decades,” and Mayor Arturo Flores of Huntington Park, stating “militarized immigration enforcement has no place in our neighborhoods.”
The federal government is presenting what is happening in Los Angeles as “un-American,” per Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, calling protestors “thugs” at a press conference on June 12. She, alongside acting ICE director Todd Lyons, told the press stories how ICE arrested gang members who killed two people during botched catalytic converter thefts and of a man who committed a mass shooting at a graduation party in 1994. At the same press conference, Sen. Alex Padilla was forcibly removed and handcuffed after interrupting Noem.
ICE Raids continue in LA, as do the protests them. Now, the protests have grown across the country. Over the weekend, “No Kings” protests were held throughout the United States, taking place to counter Trump’s policies and actions on his birthday, June 14.
