Clashes resume in Los Angeles area as immigration enforcement draws new protests

CNN For a second consecutive day tear gas and flash bangs have been used to disperse protests over immigration activity in the Los Angeles area On Saturday protesters gathered in Paramount California Assemblymember Jos Luis Solache noted four people were arrested The FBI is assessing alleged instances of demonstrators obstructing immigration enforcement operations in Los Angeles Friday and Saturday the bureau s deputy director Dan Bongino noted on social media Saturday The Department of Justice criticized California representatives as protests over federal immigration enforcement operations entered a second day Saturday The violent targeting of law enforcement in Los Angeles by lawless rioters is despicable and Mayor Bass and Governor Newsom must call for it to end The men and women of ICE put their lives on the line to protect and defend the lives of American citizens commented Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a Saturday declaration Department of Homeland Guard Secretary Kristi Noem posted a message to the LA rioters on social media Saturday You will not stop us or slow us down she wrote ICEgov will continue to enforce the law And if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law The Los Angeles County Sheriff s Department declared it was not involved in immigration enforcement and was working to ensure the safety of the populace The Sheriff s Department was not involved in any federal law enforcement operations or actions and responded solely for traffic and crowd control management the LASD explained in a message Protests started Friday The protests started Friday afternoon Police on Friday night issued a citywide tactical alert nearly two hours after declaring protests across the downtown area unlawful assemblies The use of less lethal munitions has been authorized by the Development Commander LAPD s Central Division wrote in a post on X Videos of the scene show law enforcement officers in riot gear wielding batons holding shields and throwing smoke bombs into the crowd Protesters chanted Free them all and held signs with messages including Full Rights for All Immigrants and Stop the Deportations Video shows several officers in riot gear pinning at least one person to the ground The protest came after at least people were arrested by federal immigration agents earlier in the day The Associated Press shared after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers executed search warrants at three locations according to a spokesperson for Homeland Guard Investigations The arrests come amid President Donald Trump s crackdown on immigration which has involved waves of raids and deportations across the country Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass characterized the immigration arrests as mass chaos according to CNN affiliate KABC The mayor mentioned she hadn t been described about the raids in advance It sows a sense of terror throughout the society she declared ICE was literally chasing people down the street The federal law enforcement activity came on the same day multiple sources advised CNN the Trump administration is preparing for large-scale cancellation of federal funds for California CNN has reached out to DHS for further information One of the Friday raids was in the city s Fashion District where agents served a search warrant after a judge determined a business was allegedly using fictitious documents for various of its workers US Attorney s office spokesperson Ciaran McEvoy reported CNN Union leader arrested David Huerta the president of the Utility Employees International Union California was arrested by federal agents after allegedly attempting to obstruct their access at a worksite US Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli declared in a post on X Let me be clear I don t care who you are if you impede federal agents you will be arrested and prosecuted Essayli disclosed After being treated for injuries from his arrest Huerta issued a comment condemning the citywide raids Hard-working people and members of our family and our locality are being treated like criminals he reported We all collectively have to object to this madness because this is not justice This is injustice And we all have to stand on the right side of justice No one should ever be harmed for witnessing ruling body action California Gov Gavin Newsom revealed in a comment responding to Huerta s arrest describing the union president as a respected leader a patriot and an advocate for working people Bass mentioned Friday s immigration arrests were different from previous more organized actions I ve been really worried about this from the beginning and as far as I know this is the first time this has happened in our city like this she described KABC We know ICE has been here but it s been for targeted arrests this was just mass chaos It sows a sense of chaos in our city and a sense of terror and it s just unacceptable The American Civil Liberties Union called on elected administrators to uphold their commitment to all Angelenos immigrants and non-immigrants alike by taking all action necessary to grind this oppressive and vile paramilitary operation to a halt and keep our city safe and whole in a Friday announcement Protesters face off with police Protesters gathered outside the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles at roughly p m CNN affiliate KABC broadcasted At one point hundreds of activists began marching toward a detention facility on Temple Street One video obtained by CNN shows protesters retreating from the building s entrance after coming face-to-face with the police guarding it Several projectiles are thrown at officers equipped with body armor and protective shields Other videos show the detention center sprayed with anti-ICE graffiti with a few protesters blocking LAPD vehicles close by Families and friends who had loved ones taken by immigration leadership visited the detention center to learn more about their status KABC disclosed A young woman who spoke with the outlet noted she went to the building in tears after her father was taken by federal agents The LAPD declared an unlawful assembly around p m and warned demonstrators were subject to arrest if they remained in the area Aerial footage from KABC shows law enforcement throwing smoke bombs on a street to disperse people so they could make way for SUVs and military-style vehicles While the LAPD will continue to have a visible presence in all our communities to ensure inhabitants safety we will not assist or participate in any sort of mass deportations nor will the LAPD try to determine an individual s immigration status Police Chief Jim McDonnell announced in a declaration about the immigration enforcement sessions I want everyone including our immigrant neighborhood to feel safe calling the police in their time of need and know that the LAPD will be there for you without regard to one s immigration status Newsom noted in a Saturday announcement Continued chaotic federal sweeps across California to meet an arbitrary arrest quota are as reckless as they are cruel Donald Trump s chaos is eroding trust tearing families apart and undermining the workers and industries that power America s financial sector the governor noted