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PH Consulate in LA closely monitoring mass immigration raids, protests

PH Consulate in LA closely monitoring mass immigration raids, protests

GMA Network10 hours ago

Members of security forces operate during a standoff between police and protesters following multiple detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in the Los Angeles County city of Compton, California, June 7, 2025. REUTERS/ Daniel Cole
NEW YORK — The Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles is closely monitoring the large-scale immigration operations currently being conducted by US federal authorities across multiple locations in the California county, sparking tension and public protests.
According to Consul General Adelio Angelito Cruz, the consulate is still verifying reports that a Filipino national was among the dozens arrested during the coordinated raids led by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Initial reports from US federal immigration authorities stated that a 55-year-old Filipino national from Ontario, California, was among those taken into custody. Allegedly with a pending notice to appear before an immigration court, the individual had supposedly previously been sentenced to four years in prison for burglary and is currently serving a 37-year prison sentence for sexual penetration with a foreign object by force and assault with intent to commit rape, stemming from an incident that occurred in the city of Pomona.
The ICE operation, which began last Friday, has triggered protests throughout the Los Angeles area. Advocacy groups and immigration rights supporters have taken to the streets, denouncing what they claim are excessive and discriminatory enforcement practices.
To assist federal agents, over 2,000 National Guard troops have already been deployed to various parts of California, particularly in Los Angeles, as the raids continue.
The Philippine Consulate said that it remains vigilant in monitoring developments and will provide consular assistance as needed, especially if more Filipino nationals are affected by the ongoing operations. — BM, GMA Integrated News

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PH Consulate in LA closely monitoring mass immigration raids, protests
PH Consulate in LA closely monitoring mass immigration raids, protests

GMA Network

time10 hours ago

  • GMA Network

PH Consulate in LA closely monitoring mass immigration raids, protests

Members of security forces operate during a standoff between police and protesters following multiple detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in the Los Angeles County city of Compton, California, June 7, 2025. REUTERS/ Daniel Cole NEW YORK — The Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles is closely monitoring the large-scale immigration operations currently being conducted by US federal authorities across multiple locations in the California county, sparking tension and public protests. According to Consul General Adelio Angelito Cruz, the consulate is still verifying reports that a Filipino national was among the dozens arrested during the coordinated raids led by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Initial reports from US federal immigration authorities stated that a 55-year-old Filipino national from Ontario, California, was among those taken into custody. Allegedly with a pending notice to appear before an immigration court, the individual had supposedly previously been sentenced to four years in prison for burglary and is currently serving a 37-year prison sentence for sexual penetration with a foreign object by force and assault with intent to commit rape, stemming from an incident that occurred in the city of Pomona. The ICE operation, which began last Friday, has triggered protests throughout the Los Angeles area. Advocacy groups and immigration rights supporters have taken to the streets, denouncing what they claim are excessive and discriminatory enforcement practices. To assist federal agents, over 2,000 National Guard troops have already been deployed to various parts of California, particularly in Los Angeles, as the raids continue. The Philippine Consulate said that it remains vigilant in monitoring developments and will provide consular assistance as needed, especially if more Filipino nationals are affected by the ongoing operations. — BM, GMA Integrated News

Chinese vessel runs aground off Pag-asa Island
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Trump deploys National Guard over Los Angeles protests against immigration agents
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A protester fires a firework during a standoff between police and protesters following multiple detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in the city of Paramount, Los Angeles County, California, June 7, 2025. REUTERS/ Daniel Cole LOS ANGELES — US President Donald Trump's administration said it would deploy 2,000 National Guard troops on Saturday as federal agents in Los Angeles faced off against a few hundred demonstrators during a second day of protests following immigration raids. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that the Pentagon was prepared to mobilize active-duty troops "if violence continues" in Los Angeles, saying the Marines at nearby Camp Pendleton were "on high alert." Federal security agents on Saturday confronted protesters in the Paramount area in southeast Los Angeles, where some demonstrators displayed Mexican flags. A second protest in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night attracted some 60 people, who chanted slogans including "ICE out of L.A.!" 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The protests pit Democratic-run Los Angeles, where census data suggests a significant portion of the population is Hispanic and foreign-born, against Trump's Republican White House, which has made cracking down on immigration a hallmark of his second term. 'Violent insurrection' "Insurrectionists carrying foreign flags are attacking immigration enforcement officers, while one half of America's political leadership has decided that border enforcement is evil," Vice President JD Vance posted on X late on Saturday. Senior White House aide Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner, described the protests as a "violent insurrection." The administration has not invoked the Insurrection Act, two US officials told Reuters on condition of anonymity. One said that National Guard troops can deploy quickly, within 24 hours in some cases, and that the military was working to source the 2,000 troops. The 1807 law empowers a president to deploy the US military to enforce the law and suppress events like civil disorder. The last time it was invoked was during the 1992 Los Angeles riots at the request of the California governor. Video footage of the Paramount protest showed dozens of green-uniformed security personnel with gas masks at the Paramount protest, lined up on a road strewn with overturned shopping carts as small canisters exploded into gas clouds. Authorities began detaining some protesters, according to Reuters witnesses. Los Angeles police posted on X that "multiple people have been detained for failing to disperse after multiple warnings were issued." It did not give further details. There was no official information of any arrests. "Now they know that they cannot go to anywhere in this country where our people are, and try to kidnap our workers, our people—they cannot do that without an organized and fierce resistance," said protester Ron Gochez, 44. A first round of protests kicked off on Friday night after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducted enforcement operations in the city and arrested at least 44 people on alleged immigration violations. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that there were about "1,000 rioters" at the protests on Friday. Reuters could not verify DHS's account. Angelica Salas, executive director of immigrants' rights organization Chirla, said lawyers had not had access to those detained on Friday, which she called "very worrying." Trump's immigration crackdown Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people in the country illegally and lock down the US-Mexico border, with the White House setting a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3,000 migrants per day. But the sweeping immigration crackdown has also caught up people legally residing in the country, including some with permanent residence, and has led to legal challenges. ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Los Angeles Police Department did not respond to requests for comment on the protests or whether there had been any immigration raids on Saturday. Television news footage on Friday showed unmarked vehicles resembling military transport and vans loaded with uniformed federal agents streaming through Los Angeles streets as part of the immigration enforcement operation. Raids occurred around Home Depot stores, where street vendors and day laborers were picked up, as well as at a garment factory and a warehouse, Salas of Chirla said. Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, condemned the immigration raids. "I am deeply angered by what has taken place," Bass said in a statement. "These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. We will not stand for this." — Reuters

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