Federal immigration raids across Los Angeles on Friday led to the detention of dozens of individuals and triggered tense confrontations between protesters and riot police in the city’s downtown area.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents targeted multiple locations, including a Home Depot in the Westlake District, an apparel store in the Fashion District, and a clothing warehouse in South Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles City News Service.
Caravans of unmarked military-style vehicles carrying uniformed federal agents were seen streaming through city streets as part of the operation, which is part of President Donald Trump’s ongoing crackdown on undocumented immigration.
In response to the raids, demonstrators gathered outside a jail where some detainees were believed to be held and defaced the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building with anti-ICE slogans.
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), not involved in the immigration enforcement, was deployed to manage the unrest.
By nightfall, helmeted officers wielding batons and tear gas rifles faced off with protesters after declaring an unlawful assembly.
“These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, condemning the raids.
Some protesters hurled broken concrete at police, who responded with tear gas, pepper spray, and flash-bang rounds, though immediate arrest numbers remain unclear.
Community advocates criticized the raids’ execution.
Caleb Soto of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network told Al Jazeera, “The chaotic manner of the raids that we saw today happening throughout Los Angeles and different day-labour worksites and garment worker work sites was an example of the purpose of what this Trump administration has set out to do, which is create as much fear as possible.”
Soto alleged ICE agents lacked judicial warrants and used “reasonable suspicion” to arrest individuals at worksites, calling the approach “pretty unconstitutional.”
The raids, part of a broader national sweep, highlight escalating tensions over immigration enforcement under Trump’s pledge to deport undocumented migrants in record numbers.