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Community members and religious leaders met Wednesday to condemn immigration and customs attacks at Downey Church, claiming that federal agents targeted Spanish-speaking men in the church parking lot.
Rev. Tanya Lopez, a senior pastor at Downey Memorial Christian Church, said he witnessed five men in plain clothes with police badges and bulletproof vests detaining individuals.
“He might have just opted to walk down the street and walk through the parking lot,” Lopez said. “A lot of people do that all the time.”
Lopez said he approached the agent, identified himself, and asked the detained man to ask him not to sign the documents. At one point, she claims that the agent pointed the rifle at her as she tried to approach the vehicle.
Unidentified federal agents will be seen in Downey Church parking lot after detaining the person on June 11, 2025 and loading them behind the SUV.
“They pointed their rifles at me and said, ‘We need to go back,'” Lopez said.
Paulina, a member of the local community who witnessed the incident, said the agents were offensive and had out-of-state license plates in New Mexico and Texas.
“The gentlemen they took were light-skinned and spoke only Spanish,” she said. “I don’t care if you have paper or not. As long as you look like how you look, they’ll take you with you.”
Rev. Richie Sanchez, a disciple of Christ’s Southwestern Pacific Regional Region, emphasized the community’s commitment to resistance.
“We will continue to rise and face challenges,” Sanchez said. “LA is where our population is a microcosm of the United States.”
The community organization Union Del Barrio reported at least 20 similar operations throughout the Los Angeles area, calling the attacks “inhumane” and targeting working-class individuals.
The group urged community members to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity to local organizations.
Churches have usually been considered safe places from immigrant raids and other law enforcement operations, but that is more general courtesy than legal policy.
“Legally speaking ice agents can enter public spaces in churches, mosques and places of worship,” said Jessica Levinson, a law professor at Loyola University. “The important distinction is whether you are in a public or private place. In a public place, it may be a parking lot. Perhaps it is the first place to enter the worship house, and ice agents can arrest people and do not require a warrant as long as there is a possible cause.”
Levinson said those agents need a warrant in private locations, including areas where they may confess.
ICE agents have been in daytime immigration enforcement since the attacks began at several locations in the city last week.
Two unmarked vehicles were caught between a family vehicle in Boyle Heights Wednesday morning, locking the vehicle inside and detaining the driver. The director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security later said humans were “violent mobs” who were wanted to attack ice agents.
Other attacks were carried out at car washes, home improvement warehouses and clothing storefronts.
All immigrant raids last Friday were in downtown Los Angeles, but agents expanded their operational areas to areas close to surrounding cities and nearby counties.
Protesters and law enforcement clashed these unexpected attacks, leading to overnight protests in just a few parts of the city, resulting in looting and vandalism.
On Tuesday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued a curfew on one square mile of triangular land in downtown, including Little Tokio, Chinatown, Skid Row and the Fashion District. Officials have not said whether the curfew can move forward.
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