Immigration agents carried out coordinated raids at multiple locations in Los Angeles on Friday, detaining dozens of people and prompting large protests that led to tense confrontations with federal officers outfitted in riot gear. The operations – conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents alongside Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officers and other federal partners – targeted at least three sites across the city, including workplaces suspected of harboring undocumented immigrants.
An ICE spokesperson, Yasmeen Pitts O’Keefe, said agents “executed four federal search warrants at three locations in central Los Angeles” and “approximately 44 people were administratively arrested,” with one additional arrest for obstruction during the enforcement action, as reported by CBS News.
Locations of Raids
The immigration sweeps unfolded Friday morning at several areas in Los Angeles:
- Westlake District (Central L.A.): Agents descended on a Home Depot store on Wilshire Boulevard in Westlake, where witnesses reported seeing Department of Homeland Security agents escorting men and women in handcuffs out of the parking lot according to ABC7 News. Some of those detained were street food vendors who frequent the area, according to an eyewitness interviewed by ABC7. “We’re a little scared,” the witness said in Spanish, describing the sudden roundup.
- Fashion District (Downtown): A clothing wholesaler, identified by local media as Ambiance Apparel on Towne Avenue, was raided by federal agents around midday as reported by CBSNews.com. Employees inside the business were detained, and a crowd of onlookers and relatives quickly gathered outside as the raid took place. Chaos erupted at the scene when some protesters confronted the agents – federal authorities reportedly used flash-bang grenades and pepper spray to disperse the crowd around 1:30 p.m. as tensions flared. Service Employees International Union-United Service Workers West (SEIU-USWW) had members at this site; the union’s president was present as an observer and became caught up in the crackdown.
- South Los Angeles (Santa Fe Avenue): Another enforcement operation unfolded at a warehouse facility associated with the same apparel company, near East 15th Street and Santa Fe Avenue in South L.A. Neighbors reported seeing federal agents, including some wearing FBI jackets, at that location as well. Crowds also formed here in response, though information on this site’s arrests remains part of the ongoing investigation.
Local reports indicated immigration enforcement activity may have extended to other neighborhoods as well. CALÓ News, a Latino-focused outlet, reported that “about 45 people were detained in seven locations throughout Los Angeles including Westlake, Pico-Union, Cypress Park and L.A.’s Fashion District,” suggesting the sweep was citywide. These figures are in line with the official count of 44 administrative arrests, as advocacy groups like the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) similarly estimated at least 45 people taken into custody. ICE has not released a full list of locations, but confirmed the operations were part of a broader federal initiative.
Targets and Tactics
Federal authorities said the raids were aimed at businesses suspected of employing or harboring people who are in the country illegally. “ICE officers and agents alongside partner law enforcement agencies” carried out the actions pursuant to lawful warrants, ICE spokesperson O’Keefe noted in comments to news outlets.
Bill Essayli, the U.S. Attorney for the region, told NBC Los Angeles that his office prepared search warrants for particular businesses where there’s probable cause that they are using fictitious documents to employ people. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also characterized the crackdown as a return to tougher enforcement. “ICE is now following the law and placing these illegal aliens in expedited removal, as they always should have been,” a senior DHS spokesperson said in a statement Friday, adding that those without valid legal claims would face “swift deportation.”
The Federal Government multi-agency raids were carried out with heavy military-like tactical presence. At the Westlake Home Depot, unmarked urban combat-style vans and camouflaged agents with rifles were seen as detainees were loaded up. “They showed up with assault rifles… in far more numbers than they needed to,” San Diego City Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera said of a similar ICE operation in his city, reflecting concern that federal agents deliberately used overwhelming force to intimidate communities. In Los Angeles, witnesses described agents even chasing people down the street in some instances, contributing to what L.A. Mayor Karen Bass called “mass chaos.”
Union Leader Arrested and Injured
Among those detained in Friday’s raids was a prominent labor leader, sparking additional outrage from officials and activists. SEIU-USWW President David Huerta was taken into custody during the operation at the Fashion District clothing company, where many union janitorial and service workers are employed.
The union said Huerta was present as an observer, part of a “rapid response” team to monitor ICE actions, when a confrontation occurred between federal agents and community members. In the brief scuffle, agents forced Huerta to the ground – “federal agents got on top of him to detain him,” Mayor Bass said – causing him to hit his head. Huerta was injured and taken to Los Angeles General Hospital for treatment, then discharged and transported to the Metropolitan Detention Center downtown, according to an SEIU statement.
Huerta’s arrest drew swift condemnation from local leaders and questions about the justification. The union president was not a target of the immigration warrants, colleagues say, but rather attempting to protect workers’ rights during the raid.
“What happened to me is not about me; this is about something much bigger,” Huerta said in a statement after his detention. “Hard-working people, and members of our family and our community, are being treated like criminals… This is not justice. This is injustice. And we all have to stand on the right side of justice.”
Federal authorities have defended Huerta’s arrest as lawful. “Federal agents were executing a lawful judicial warrant at an LA worksite this morning when David Huerta deliberately obstructed their access by blocking their vehicle,” U.S. Attorney Essayli wrote on social media, adding that Huerta “was arrested for interfering with federal officers and will face arraignment in federal court on Monday.”
Huerta could potentially be charged with a federal offense for impeding agents. Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, however, argued that Huerta was “wrongfully detained” simply for observing, and she called for “his immediate release” in a statement Friday.
Protests Erupt and Turn Chaotic
News of the raids spread quickly through immigrant communities on Friday, and by afternoon, active protests were spawned across the city. Thousands of demonstrators mobilized in downtown Los Angeles, many carrying signs and shouting their anger against ICE’s actions. Around 4 p.m., a large crowd rallied outside the federal Edward R. Roybal Federal Building, demanding the release of those detained and denouncing the crackdown.
“Our community is under attack and is being terrorized,” CHIRLA Executive Director Angélica Salas told the gathering, urging solidarity. “These are workers, these are fathers, these are mothers… and this has to stop. Immigration enforcement that is terrorizing our families… must stop now,” said Sales to local broadcasters. Protesters also specifically pleaded for David Huerta’s release, as many labor activists joined the demonstrations.
By early evening, groups of protesters began marching through downtown streets, at one point blocking traffic on Aliso Street near the U.S. 101 Freeway. Some demonstrators vented their anger on federal property: graffiti reading “Stop Deportations” and other slogans was sprayed on the side of the Metropolitan Detention Center, the facility where many detainees were held, as reported by CBSNews.com.
Tensions escalated as the sun set. Protesters confronted federal agents near a parking lot in Chinatown around 10 p.m., after dozens of agents staged there. Video from ABC7’s helicopter showed unmarked vehicles and armed agents forming a perimeter as an animated crowd pressed in. At one downtown location, a crowd tried to prevent ICE transport vans from leaving by physically blocking their path; at least one person tripped and was nearly run over as others threw objects at the vehicles.
Los Angeles police officers were initially standing-by monitoring the demonstrations, but as clashes intensified, the situation turned into a full-blown standoff. By about 7 p.m., the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) declared an unlawful assembly outside the federal building, citing safety concerns. Police ordered the roughly 200 remaining protesters to disperse and began forming skirmish lines in riot gear. Some protesters refused to leave, shouting at officers, and some people in the crowd hurled projectiles.
According to an LAPD statement, individuals were seen throwing “large pieces of concrete” at law enforcement. In response, riot police deployed crowd-control weapons: officers fired volleys of tear gas and pepper spray, and also shot foam baton rounds and bean bag projectiles toward demonstrators. Loud “flash-bang” stun grenades exploded, startling both protesters and bystanders as smoke filled the downtown streets.
The confrontation outside the detention center was intense but relatively brief. By 8 p.m., the crowd began to thin out as lines of police advanced and pushed protesters away from the facility’s entrance. Several downtown streets were temporarily closed and traffic was disrupted, including near freeway on-ramps, during the melee.
It was “an extraordinary scene in a major American city,” described one local report, as what resembled military convoys faced off against outraged residents. Despite the chaos, authorities did not reported any serious injuries from the clashes. It was not immediately clear if any protesters were arrested during the confrontation; police did not announce any arrest numbers from the dispersal as of late Friday night, per Reuters.com.
Mayor Bass and Governor Newsom Condemn ‘Terror’ Tactics
Friday’s raids and the ensuing unrest drew fierce backlash from California officials, who said they were blindsided by the federal action. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said neither she nor the LAPD received any advance notice from ICE about the operations.
“Frankly, I’m just outraged,” Bass told ABC7, describing how immigration agents “went in, they just took people away… and it happened at multiple places in the city” with no warning to local authorities. Bass, who took office pledging to support L.A.’s immigrant communities, blasted the raids as unacceptable. “As mayor of a proud city of immigrants… I am deeply angered by what has taken place,” she said in a statement on social media. “These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. My office is in close coordination with immigrant rights [organizations]. We will not stand for this.”
Bass noted that past ICE activity in Los Angeles tended to involve targeted arrests of specific individuals, whereas Friday’s sweeps felt vastly different in scale. “This was just mass chaos,” she said, “It sows a sense of terror… and a sense of chaos in our city, and it’s just unacceptable.” Bass visited the Ambiance Apparel company’s headquarters on Friday to meet with affected workers, and she affirmed that city resources would be directed to assist families of those detained.
California Governor Gavin Newsom also weighed in forcefully. In a statement Friday, Newsom said “continued chaotic federal sweeps, across California, to meet an arbitrary arrest quota are as reckless as they are cruel.” He directly accused President Donald Trump’s administration of instilling fear: “Donald Trump’s chaos is eroding trust, tearing families apart, and undermining the workers and industries that power America’s economy.”
The governor added that state officials would explore responses to protect residents, and he commended local authorities like the LAPD for not cooperating in the raids. Both the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reiterated Friday that they do not participate in civil immigration enforcement.
“The LAPD is not involved in civil immigration enforcement,” Chief Jim McDonnell emphasized, noting the department’s focus is on community safety, not federal immigration law. Sheriff Robert Luna similarly stated his deputies would “not enforce civil immigration law” and are dedicated only to local public safety matters.
Other elected leaders joined the chorus of criticism. U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) condemned the L.A. raids as part of “a disturbing pattern of extreme and cruel immigration enforcement operations across the country.” He said in a statement, “These indiscriminate raids prove once again that the Trump administration cares about nothing but instilling harm and fear in our communities… It will not work.” Padilla vowed to seek federal accountability for what transpired.
L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn, in whose district many of the raids occurred, called the scenes “chilling.” “They aren’t targeting violent criminals – they are sweeping up hardworking people in our communities just trying to provide for their families,” Hahn said, adding that agents appeared “armed to the teeth” with the goal of spreading fear.
Fellow Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath denounced the actions as “acts of cruelty and bigotry, targeting our immigrant neighbors and tearing families apart,” and echoed that the county “will not be intimidated” by such tactics.
Federal immigration officials, for their part, defended the necessity of the operations under law. While ICE did not immediately issue a public comment specific to Los Angeles (a spokesperson said the agency was still compiling information on the raids), the Department of Homeland Security signaled that more actions could come.
The FBI’s Los Angeles office confirmed it provided support to DHS during Friday’s sweeps and related operations “all across the country.” “As we have been asked to do, we are sending agents to participate in these immigration enforcement efforts,” the FBI said in a statement, noting that special agents are embedded with DHS teams in cities where major operations are underway. The aim of Friday’s raids, according to DHS and Justice Department officials, was to enforce existing immigration laws that they contend were too lax in recent years. “My priority is enforcing the law, as opposed to just sending out hordes of ICE agents wherever,” Essayli said, explaining that the focus was on locations exploiting undocumented labor rather than random street sweeps.
Community Outrage and Calls for Investigation
Immigrant-rights organizations and community groups are mobilizing in the wake of the raids, calling for transparency and humanitarian treatment of those detained. CHIRLA’s Angélica Salas, who spoke at Friday’s protest, urged state and local leaders to provide legal support for affected families and to push back against federal pressure.
Activists pointed out that some immigrants were detained under unusual circumstances – earlier on Friday, attorneys reported that several individuals attending routine ICE check-in appointments at the federal building were unexpectedly taken into custody and held in basement rooms overnight, without beds or sufficient food. The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), a national Latino civil rights group, has called for an investigation after reports surfaced that ICE agents in Los Angeles had detained entire families at the federal facility downtown.
LULAC shared images on social media purportedly showing small children and parents held by authorities, claiming the practice violates federal guidelines. The group is urging Congress to look into the matter.
ICE has not confirmed those specific reports. A DHS spokesperson said individuals with valid asylum or relief claims will have an opportunity to make them before an immigration judge, but those “with no valid claim” will be deported swiftly under expedited procedures.
Local civil liberties organizations, including the ACLU of Southern California and immigrant legal aid clinics, have also stepped in. Volunteer lawyers set up a hotline for family members of detainees, offering to help verify the location of loved ones swept up on Friday. By Friday night, the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles reported it had identified at least 11 Mexican nationals among those arrested.
“The detention center seems to be at full capacity… Every cell seems occupied,” said Consul General Carlos González Gutiérrez, noting that consular staff were monitoring detention conditions and ensuring detainees’ rights are respected. Community groups are planning additional rallies over the weekend and have organized “know your rights” workshops in neighborhoods with large immigrant populations.
South Pasadena Response
South Pasadena was not directly targeted in these ICE operations. As of Friday evening, there were no reports of immigration raids or detentions in South Pasadena, and no protests had been confirmed locally. City officials in South Pasadena had not issued any formal statements specific to the June 6 raids at press time.
The South Pasadena Police Department likewise reported no ICE activity in its jurisdiction on Friday, though authorities and residents were closely watching the events unfolding in Los Angeles. South Pasadena is part of the broader Los Angeles region and home to many families with immigrant roots, so the news of the raids generated concern and conversation in the community.
Local organizations and school leaders have in the past declared support for immigrant students and families; on Friday they reminded the public that “Know Your Rights” resources are available and that schools and city facilities in South Pasadena remain safe zones. Apart from monitoring the situation, South Pasadena’s community response remained largely one of solidarity and vigilance, without any specific incidents of its own to report.
Part of a National Immigration Crackdown
Friday’s dramatic events in Los Angeles did not occur in isolation – they are part of a broader escalation of federal immigration enforcement under President Trump’s administration. The sweeps in L.A. were “the latest in a series of such sweeps conducted in a number of cities” as Trump pursues an aggressive campaign promise to crack down on undocumented immigration.
The President has vowed to arrest and deport undocumented migrants in record numbers, and in recent weeks ICE has conducted high-profile raids in several states. Over the past few days alone, similar scenes played out from Minneapolis to Chicago to San Diego, where ICE agents have faced public pushback and protests during mass arrest operations.
In San Diego last week, agents in tactical gear raided a popular restaurant and used smoke devices and flash-bangs to disperse an angry crowd that surrounded their vehicles. These tactics – including the use of masked, heavily armed teams – have drawn rebukes from local officials across the country, who argue that such shows of force sow panic in communities.
Trump administration officials defend the stepped-up measures as necessary to enforce laws that they say were not rigorously upheld by the previous administration. ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons noted in a press conference that agents have begun wearing masks during operations for safety, citing incidents of officers being harassed or threatened online. “I’m sorry if people are offended by them wearing masks, but I’m not going to let my officers… put their lives on the line” due to doxxing and personal threats, Lyons said to WUFT.org.
The administration has also revived hardline policies such as expanded expedited removal, meaning many immigrants arrested without documentation may be deported without lengthy court proceedings if they cannot immediately prove legal status or a credible fear of persecution.
Going forward, the fallout from the L.A. raids is likely to echo beyond Southern California. Elected officials from California are calling on the previous administration’s Justice Department appointees to review whether federal agents exceeded their authority or violated any protocols during these sweeps.
Meanwhile, immigrant communities in South Pasadena, Pasadena, San Marino, Alhambra and across the region remain on edge. As Friday’s tumult quieted, Mayor Bass vowed that Los Angeles “will not stand for this” heavy-handed approach, and Governor Newsom urged all Californians to “not be intimidated” by what he labeled political fear-mongering.
This article was originally published in the South Pasadenan.
