El Salvadorian restaurant staff praised for helping officers hurt in LA riots: ‘They're humans'
A Salvadorian restaurant owner helped cops who were hurt in the riots rocking Los Angeles, even though she sympathizes with some of the protesters — and footage of her actions is now going viral.
'They're humans,' eatery owner Elizabeth Mendoza told The Post of the injured officers she and her workers assisted as they sheltered in her Compton restaurant La Ceiba in the heat of the city's riots Saturday.
'And they were just doing their duty, trying to protect everyone around,' Mendoza said, explaining she didn't think twice when the cops asked for help.
5 Elizabeth Mendoza let police officers battling protestors into her restaurant to help them after they were teargassed.
Ringo Chiu
Mendoza and some other local Hispanic workers said that while they agree with the demonstrators' cause — migrants' rights — violence and looting are no way to achieve anything.
'Spray painting and all this damage, that's not helping anybody,'' said Pedro Perez, a worker at a nearby Boost Mobile that was damaged.
'And right here, where they were spray painting, mainly all these people are all Hispanic owners.'
'The whole point is to be united, and you guys are damaging your own people's businesses. I just think it's stupid,' he said.
Mendoza said she was working at La Ceiba that afternoon as clashes across the city between police and demonstrators protesting ICE's recent mass arrests of illegal immigrants grew increasingly violent.
As a face-off grew particularly heated nearby, several sheriff's deputies were caught in a cloud of tear gas and staggered into the restaurant and asked for help.
5 Mendoza immigrated to the US from El Salvador 30 years ago, and opened La Ceiba in 2015.
Ringo Chiu
Mendoza jumped into action and joined her staff, fanning down the cops and giving them milk to pour over their burning eyes — even letting one of the officers stand in the restaurant's freezer to cool down.
The scene — of Latin Americans readily helping police hurt trying to contain protests for migrants — quickly gained attention online, with many praising Mendoza and her staff for their integrity and humanity.
Mendoza, a US citizen who immigrated to the US 30 years ago, said she supported the protesters' cause, although she added that looting and violence were no way to achieve anything.
'Things should be done properly. That's not the way to handle the situation,' she said.
5 Los Angeles descended into chaos over the weekend with protests after ICE carried out mass raids on illegal immigrants
AFP via Getty Images
5 A boarded-up T-Mobile in downtown Los Angeles was looted.
Ringo Chiu
The restaurant owner said many of the protesters are from her community — and ended up working to help protect her business from some of the vandals.
'There were a lot of people also protecting the restaurant. Most of the protesters around here, they are like family, so they were protecting the place,' she said.
Not every business nearby was so lucky: Many in the strip mall neighboring La Ceiba were vandalized over the weekend.
5 Mendoza said she supports the protesters' cause but doesn't believe in rioting or looting.
Ringo Chiu
Mendoza said she is hopeful that the riots will calm down and that ICE won't deport hard workers who are truly in the US to chase the American dream.
'I want this to have a peaceful ending and to make them be smarter about deporting people and run background checks to make sure they are not deporting people who are just here for a better life,' she said of federal agents.
'They need to be deporting people who are really here for the wrong reasons.'
LA's riots were sparked on Friday after ICE carried out several raids across the city and protesters attempted to intervene.
Demonstrators eventually showed up at a downtown detention center where detainees were believed to be held, and after violence broke out in places, President Trump sent in the National Guard to quell the chaos.
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The Hill
36 minutes ago
- The Hill
ICE raids accelerate, protests spread
Evening Report is The Hill's P.M. newsletter. Sign up here or subscribe in the box below: Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here THE WHITE HOUSE vowed Wednesday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids would continue 'unabated,' as protests spread from Los Angeles into other major American cities. Demonstrations have sprung up in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Chicago, Austin, Denver, San Francisco and other major cities. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) sought to rally the nation to his side, as U.S. Marines prepared to join National Guard troops dispatched to keep the peace in Los Angeles. 'This isn't just about protests here in Los Angeles,' Newsom said in a direct-to-camera address. 'This is about all of us. This is about you. California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes.' The White House warned protesters there would be consequences if demonstrations in other cities get out of hand. 'Let this be an unequivocal message to left-wing radicals in other parts of the country who might be thinking about copy-catting the violence in an effort to stop this administration's mass deportation efforts,' said press secretary Karoline Leavitt. 'You will not succeed. Any lawlessness will only strengthen this president's resolve to defend the majority of Americans who want to live their lives peacefully, free from the fear of violent criminal illegal aliens.' The New York Police Department said at least 80 people were arrested at anti-ICE protests in lower Manhattan on Tuesday night. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) deployed the National Guard to deal with protests in his state. 'Peaceful protest is legal,' Abbott posted on X. 'Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest. @TexasGuard will use every tool & strategy to help law enforcement maintain order.' ICE took more than 70 people into custody during an immigration enforcement operation at a meat packaging facility in Omaha. Leavitt said more than 330 people in the country illegally have been arrested in Los Angeles over the past few days, and that more than 100 had prior criminal convictions. 'This administration is going to continue the mass deportation effort that the president promised the American public,' she said. President Trump's border czar Tom Homan said the protests are making immigration raids and deportations 'difficult' and 'dangerous' for the officers seeking to carry them out. 'They're not going to stop us,' Homan told 'NBC Nightly News' anchor Tom Llamas. 'They're not going to slow us down.' Organizers with 'No Kings' are planning about 1,500 demonstrations across the country to protest the military parade scheduled for Saturday in D.C. to mark the Army's 250th birthday. It's also Trump's 79th birthday. 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'This brazen abuse of power by a sitting president inflamed a combustible situation,' he said. A judge rejected Newsom's request to limit troop deployment, pending a Thursday hearing. The Department of Justice called Newsom's lawsuit a 'crass political stunt.' On Thursday, three Democratic governors from blue 'Sanctuary States' will testify before Congress: Govs. Tim Walz (Minn.), Kathy Hochul (New York) and JB Pritzker. 'Sanctuary cities and states will no longer be allowed to shield illegal criminal from deportation,' Leavitt said. 💡Perspectives: • American Conservative: Trump, Newsom play to their bases. Who will win? • Washington Post: Dems ignored the border. The consequences are here. • The Liberal Patriot: Both parties lose the plot on immigration. • The New York Times: The military may find itself in an impossible situation. • City Journal: Trump's unapologetic defense of the rule of law. 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And House Republicans advanced legislation that calls for more than $450 billion to fund the Department of Veterans Affairs, military construction and other programs for fiscal 2026. It's the first of the 12 annual funding bills House GOP appropriators are hoping to move out of committee before Congress leaves for its August recess. 💡Perspectives: • The Spectator: The tech-MAGA alliance is far from over. • Very Serious: A terrible field of New York mayoral candidates. • The Hill: Trump, Congress can end abuse of taxpayers by PBS and NPR. • The Guardian: Trump wages war against U.S. citizens. • MSNBC: Americans prep for nationwide 'No Kings' rallies. Read more: • House GOP schedule interviews with former Biden aides. • Foreign investors recoil from 'discriminatory' tax in Trump's big bill. • 5 takeaways from the New Jersey primaries. • Sergio Gor cements himself as 'vital' part of Trump's White House. • Most voters in favor of Trump's 'most favored nation' drug price policy. 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Fox News
38 minutes ago
- Fox News
Kim Kardashian says immigrants in LA suffering 'fear and injustice' thanks to Trump immigration plan
Despite working with President Donald Trump on issues in the past, Kim Kardashian indicated on Friday she does not support his administration's immigration policy. In a recent Instagram post, the reality TV star condemned operations conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), calling them "inhumane." "When we're told that ICE exists to keep our country safe and remove violent criminals — great. But when we witness innocent, hardworking people being ripped from their families in inhumane ways, we have to speak up. We have to do what's right," she stated in an Instagram story Friday. The Los Angeles native shared the post as her hometown continues to be shaken by violent anti-ICE riots that started last week in response to the federal law enforcement agency detaining illegal immigrants. DHS said ICE raids in L.A. over the weekend resulted in "hundreds of illegal aliens [being] arrested by ICE officers and agents," including "many with a criminal history and criminal convictions." Protests and clashes outside multiple locations in downtown L.A. have grown so chaotic that Trump ordered National Guard troops into the city, followed by several hundred U.S. Marines, to restore order. Some California officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, have accused the administration of exacerbating the situation. Despite the attacks on cops and other law enforcement officials by rioters, Kardashian argued in her post that immigrants are dealing with "fear and injustice" at the hands of the federal government. She added, "Growing up in LA, I've seen how deeply immigrants are woven into the fabric of this city. They are our neighbors, friends, classmates, coworkers, and family. No matter where you fall politically, it's clear that our communities thrive because of the contributions of immigrants. We can't turn a blind eye when fear and injustice keep people from living their lives freely and safely." "There HAS to be a BETTER way," Kardashian declared, concluding her post. The celebrity followed that post by sharing a video of pop star Doechii bashing Trump and ICE while accepting the of best female hip hop artist award at the BET Awards on Monday night. During her acceptance speech, the musician stated, "There are ruthless attacks that are creating fear and chaos in our communities in the name of law and order," she said. "Trump is using military forces to stop a protest, and I want y'all to consider what kind of government it appears to be when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us." Despite Kardashian's harsh stance on Trump's immigration agenda, she has had a constructive relationship with him in the past. In 2019, she appeared at the White House alongside Trump to promote his criminal justice reform policies, calling them "magic." By that point, Kardashian had been at the White House several times to discuss criminal justice reform issues and successfully lobbied President Trump to pardon Alice Marie Johnson, who was serving life without parole for drug offenses. The White House did not immediately reply to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Illegal migrant rioter charged with hurling molotov at LA cops after chilling footage captured him stalking police
An illegal migrant from Mexico is accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at cops during the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles last weekend — and he'd already been deported from the US once before. Emiliano Garduno-Galvez now faces an attempted murder charge after being nabbed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Monday, according to the Department of Homeland Security. 4 Ominous footage shows Emiliano Garduno-Galvez flicking a lighter, as if to test that it's working before the alleged attack. Department of Homeland Security Ominous video footage released by ICE shows the Mexican migrant lurking around a tree wearing a black hoodie and face mask with what appeared to be a Molotov cocktail at his feet on Saturday, according to ICE At one point he flicks a lighter, as if to test that it's working, according to the footage. Police were seen trying to push rioters away from the area before Garduno-Galvez allegedly chucked the explosive at them, ICE said. Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin emphasized that 'these are the types of criminal illegal aliens that rioters are fighting to protect,' in a statement Wednesday. 4 Emiliano Garduno-Galvez was previously deported from the US. Department of Homeland Security She added: 'The Los Angeles rioters will not stop us or slow us down. And if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.' 4 Emiliano Garduno-Galvez, left, appears in video footage taken before the attack. Department of Homeland Security 4 ICE agents arresting a man in Los Angeles. @PressSec / X The Mexican illegal migrant also had a rap sheet that includes two arrests last year for a DUI in Long Beach and grand theft in Anaheim. A DHS official told The Post that local officials didn't honor previous detainers to let ICE take Garduno Galvez into custody after his previous arrests. Anti-ICE protests broke out in LA Friday after immigration agents raided multiple workplaces and hauled of illegal migrants, but kicked off in earnest on Saturday. Rioters threw rocks and molotov cocktails at federal agents and local cops. Protesters later began showing up at multiple locations across the city to block ICE raids, while picketing at the agency's downtown detention center. The protests, however, quickly turned violent as rioters began burning cars, shutting down highways and looting storefronts.
