Riots break out in Los Angeles as immigration enforcement draws new protests

7NEWS

6 hours ago

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 and assembly member José Luis Solache said four people were arrested.
The FBI is investigating alleged instances of demonstrators obstructing immigration enforcement operations in Los Angeles Friday and Saturday, the bureau's deputy director, Dan Bongino, said on social media Saturday.
The Department of Justice criticized California officials 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,' said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a Saturday statement.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said it was not involved in immigration enforcement and was working to ensure the safety of the public.
'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 said in a statement.
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 Incident 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 44 people were arrested by federal immigration agents earlier in the day, The Associated Press reported, after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers executed search warrants at three locations, according to a spokesperson for Homeland Security 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 said she hadn't been told about the raids in advance. 'It sows a sense of terror throughout the community,' she said. 'ICE was literally chasing people down the street.'
The federal law enforcement activity came on the same day multiple sources told CNN the Trump administration is preparing for 'large-scale' cancellation of federal funds for California.
CNN has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security 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 some of its workers, US Attorney's office spokesperson Ciaran McEvoy told CNN.