Friday’s immigrant attack led to the arrest of dozens of people, causing hours of confusion in downtown Los Angeles
Here’s what we know so far:
Where was the attack?
Federal agents have hit several locations, including the atmosphere apparel in the Clothing District where many people were detained, authorities clashed with protesters and won Home Depot in the Westlake District.
At Aviance Apparel, immigration officials detained employees among clothing wholesalers and used Flash-Bang Grenades and Pepper Spray on crowds protesting the attack around 1:30pm on Friday.
Agents surrounded the gates that protesters were trying to block. Some people cried out and threw objects at the agents they filmed. Pepper spray was used to disperse the crowd.
Agents inside the store left at least dozens of individuals and boarded the van as other agents on the riot device were tapered from the area.
The immigrant-filled van first left, followed by a tactical line of vehicles and trucks. Agents used at least 12 rounds of flash bang grapes and what appeared to be pepper spray before the protesters spread out.
There were reports of other actions, but we were unable to confirm.
Who was detained?
44 people have been arrested administratively and one has been arrested for obstruction during immigration lawsuit Friday, said Yasmeen Pitts O’Keefe, a spokesman for the Ice branch of Homeland Security Investigation. Federal agents have executed four search warrants related to allegations of illegally holding people in countries in three locations in central Los Angeles, she said.
Los Angeles Mexican Consul General Carlos Gonzalez Gutierrez said his team identified at least 11 Mexican nationals who were detained during the Southland attack. The office said it provides legal services to them and he is monitoring the terms of detention.
What about the President of SEIU?
Service Employees United Nations California President David Fuerta was injured and taken into custody while documenting an immigration enforcement raid in downtown Los Angeles on Friday.
Fuerta, 58, was treated at a hospital and was later transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles.
“What happened to me isn’t about me. It’s about something much bigger,” he said in a statement from the hospital. “This is about how we stand together as a community and resist the injustice that is happening. Hardworking people and our families and members of our community are treated like criminals. We all have to oppose this insanity.
Many elected officials expressed their anger at the arrest and called for his release.
In X’s statement, our atty. Bill Essay alleged that Furuta intentionally interfered with federal agents’ access to workplaces where they had been running warrants by blocking the vehicle on Friday morning. Fuerta was arrested on suspicion of interfering with federal officials and will be arrested Monday, the essay said.
How about the protest?
Many protesters gathered at the Metropolitan Detention Center on Friday afternoon and evening, occasionally clashing with agents. Some people destroyed the buildings.
Los Angeles police declared illegal legislatures and ordered around 200 protesters gathered in the Los Angeles Federal Building to be dispersed around 7pm.
The use of the so-called low-fatal ammunition was approved at 8 p.m. following reports that a small group of “violent individuals” were throwing large concrete at officers, police said. Shortly afterwards, citywide tactical alerts were issued.
By midnight, most of the protesters had left the area.
It was unclear whether anyone was arrested or injured during the protest.
What was the response?
The attack received rapid rebukes across Los Angeles by politicians.
On Friday afternoon, U.S. Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, alongside California officials, called for an investigation into the tactics used by Scott Peters and Juan Vargas in the San Diego raid.
“This troubling incident is not an isolated case, but rather appears to be part of a broader pattern of escalated theatre immigration enforcement operations across the country,” the lawmaker said. “These events raise serious questions about the adequacy, proportionality and implementation of ice tactics.”
Mayor Karen Bass said, “It’s a sense of fear in the community. What happened here is bad enough, but the way this spreads across the community is not what we know where people are safe.”
It sparked a response from the White House deputy chief of staff and immigration crackdown advocate Stephen Miller.
Miller replied to Bass of X: “You have nothing to say about this. Federal law is the best, and federal law will come into effect.”
What do you know about the case itself?
Officials have released few details.
However, the essay told KNBC it was part of the “step-up” enforcement effort.
“My office has prepared a search warrant for certain companies that are likely to use fictitious documents to hire people,” the essayri told the station.
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