Immigration protests spread in Los Angeles
CHP HOLDS THE LINE in Downtown Los Angeles as protesters demonstrate their First Amendment rights.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (also known as ICE) started enforcing federal illegal immigration mandates throughout Los Angeles County on June 6, including the areas of the Los Angeles Fashion District and at a Home Depot location in the Westlake, just west of Downtown. The news quickly spread on various social media platforms prompting widespread demonstrations in the city. While many characterized the protests as peaceful, the federal government witnessed property vandalism and aggression towards law enforcement, which led President Donald Trump to deploy 2,000 National Guard soldiers to the city. While the city had not requested the deployment, the federal administration contended they did not want to see a repeat of the looting and violence that occurred during the George Floyd protests.
The last time the National Guard was deployed in L.A. was during the 1992 Rodney King riots. While the protests in L.A. did not decline into the chaos that was seen in May and June 2020, the federal administration attributed the demonstrations remaining peaceful to the deployment of the National Guard.
However, as the number of protesters increased, the occurrences of violence downtown became more fraught. Several Waymo cars were burned and destroyed, and an Apple store was broken into and looted.
DEMONSTRATOR IN DTLA holds a sign in front of a national guard. Photos by Rhett Hutcheson.
Mayor Karen Bass implemented a curfew in the area effective from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. A Chronicle photographer who was reporting from the area was shot with a rubber bullet by the LAPD, while many other journalists also reported being struck by rubber bullets on social media. A message sent to the Mayor’s office requesting comment was not answered.
As of print, the Marines had been deployed and L.A. Police Chief Jim McDonnell held a press conference stating that the LAPD was there not to stop citizens from protesting peacefully, but to prevent property damage and violence from erupting. Those who engaged in such behavior would be arrested. On “CBS Mornings,” McDonnell denied asking for National Guard help with the protests, and instead said the National Guard was there to “facilitate what the federal agencies are doing on the immigration front.”
ARMY SOLDIER guards the federal building while holding a loaded lethal weapon.
As the week progressed and the protests continued, a war of words escalated between the President and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. At one point it was suggested that Newsom could be arrested if he interfered with the work of federal agencies. For her part, Mayor Karen Bass released a statement that read in part, “Deploying federalized troops on the heels of these raids is a chaotic escalation. The fear people are feeling in our city right now is very real…”
Deportations have occurred through many different administrations—the Obama Administration deported far more than that of the Trump Administration. President Obama was known as the “Deporter-in-Chief” by many critics in the Democratic Party, and holds the record for the most deportations with 1.6 million in his first term and 1.5 million in his second term. The Trump Administration deported 1.2 million undocumented immigrants in his first term. In fact, President Trump deported less than Presidents Obama, Clinton or Bush according to the Department of Homeland Security website. The rhetoric surrounding the deportations and the method in which they have been done seem to be the main cause of friction. The use of unmarked vehicles and deporting those that don’t appear to be a threat have prompted much of the unrest.
LAPD ADVANCES ON a group of protestors to secure the front of the federal building.
The immigration debate has been ongoing in Washington for decades, yet concrete changes have never been implemented. President Obama did have a policy of not separating families and would allow immigrants to rescind their application and return to their homeland. According to President Trumps’ border czar Tom Homan, “anyone is deportable,” including entire families.
As the Chronicle goes to print, the protests are planned to continue through Labor Day.
Category: News
