Shielded police in riot gear turned out on Friday evening in a heavy showdown with protesters in downtown Los Angeles, California State after a day of federal immigration raids where dozens of people across the city were reported to be taken into custody.
Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers queued up on a downtown street, put out batons and what appeared to be tear gas rifles, clashing with demonstrators after authorities had issued an order for crowds of protesters to disperse around nightfall.
In the beginning of the standoff, some protesters hurled blocks of broken concrete against officers, and in response Police officers shot volleys of tear gas and pepper spray. Police also fired “flash-bang” concussion rounds.
Drake Madison, LAPD spokesperson, said police on the scene declared the gathering an unlawful assembly, meaning that those who failed to leave the area were subject to arrest, as reported by Reuters.
It remains unclear whether there were any immediate arrests.
Several locations were points of target for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, including a Home Depot in the city’s Wetlake District, an apparel store in the Fashion District and a clothing warehouse in South Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles City News Service (CNS).
Earlier in the day, following footage from television news, convoy of unmarked military-style vehicles and vans filled with uniformed federal agents streaming through Los Angeles streets as part of the immigration enforcement operation.
As reported by local media and CNS, during the raids, dozens of people were taken into custody, the latest in a series of such operations executed in a number of cities as part of President Donald Trump’s comprehensive clamp down on illegal immigration.
Trump, Republican president, has promised to arrest and deport undocumented migrants in record numbers.
During his campaign in 2024, Trump, 47th President of the United States (US), assured Americans he will ‘Make America Safe Again’ – one of the ways to bring this to fulfilment is by deporting illegal immigrants from the US.
Trump said, he will carry out the largest deportation in the history of America.
The LAPD was not involved in the immigration enforcement action. It was deployed to subdue civil demonstrations after crowds protesting the deportation raids spray-painted anti-ICE slogans on the walls of a federal court building and converged outside a nearby jail where some of the detainees were believed to be held.
