LA protests: How city erupted over rumours of hardware store raid

BBC News

4 hours ago

Juan and several friends huddled in the car park of a hardware store near Los Angeles, where protests have erupted against US President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. Typically, their gatherings include dozens of day labourers, many of whom are undocumented immigrants, seeking work from shoppers or contractors.But on Sunday, only two small pickups advertised that they could help with roofing, repairs or paint jobs outside this branch of Home Depot in the suburb of Paramount, whose population is more than 82% Hispanic.It was one day after the store became the centre of immigration protests, sparked by rumours that day labourers here had been rounded up and arrested.Many who live in the community told the BBC they saw immigration enforcement vehicles in the area.It caused instant fear and panic. Then came reports about raids and arrests of day labourers at Home Depot, a place where many undocumented migrants across the US go to find work.Protests erupted in this Hispanic-majority city, turning violent as rocks and Molotov cocktails were thrown. Authorities used pepper spray, rubber bullets and smoke bombs to subdue the crowd.But the demonstrations in Paramount appear to have spawned out of misinformation.
While dozens of migrants have been detained by authorities elsewhere in the area, the rumours of raids at the store were misinformation, according to the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS)."Despite false reports, there was no ICE 'raid' at a Home Depot in LA," the DHS told the BBC.Follow our live updates on the LA protestsA political fight Trump is eager to haveAs he leaned on the bed of a small Toyota pickup with his two friends, Juan said: "No-one really knows what happened. Everyone is afraid."The unrest in Paramount, which also saw a car set ablaze and businesses looted, became a catalyst for what federal authorities have described as riots throughout the Los Angeles area.On Saturday, President Donald Trump used his authority to call in the California National Guard, something typically decided by a state's governor, as a second day of protests convulsed the city. As the protests flared up for a third day on Sunday, armed National Guard troops guarded a gated business park across the street from the hardware store.They parked Humvees blocking the area and squared off with protesters hurling insults and waving Mexican flags and banners.
"You're not welcome here!" one man with a Los Angeles Angels ball cap shouted to the soldiers as another protester uncapped spray paint and wrote an obscenity directed at US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.DHS told the BBC that the guarded area is home to one of their offices and authorities were using it "as a staging area and rioters found it".The agency told the BBC they have arrested 118 illegal immigrants in the Los Angeles area this week, including five they say are gang members.The agency said some of these migrants had previous criminal histories that included drug trafficking, assault and robbery.When can a president deploy National Guard on US soil?As he prepared to board Air Force One in Morristown, New Jersey, on Sunday, Trump told reporters there were "violent people" in Los Angeles "and they're not gonna get away with it".Dora Sanchez was still in disbelief from the shocking images that transformed her city the night before.She gathered on Sunday with others in the community at the Chapel of Change church, less than a block from the centre of protests the day before.She and others at the church talked about how this Hispanic community was revitalised over the years and became a close-knit community where neighbours know and watch out for one another.The protests felt like a "breaking point" for the immigrant community, she noted.Los Angeles is one of the biggest minority-majority cities in the US.
Hispanics not only make up a larger share of the population than any other ethnic background, but immigrants, specifically those from just south in Mexico, are a core part of the history and culture here.The city boasts its status as a sanctuary city, which means it does not co-operate with federal immigration enforcement.Some here said they felt a bubbling tension that seemed to erupt when the Republican president's administration targeted LA's undocumented immigrants."It was time to stand up," said Maria Gutierrez, who protested in Paramount. "These are my people."She said she was born in Mexico, but has lived here since she was a girl.She - like many here - say they have family members who are in the US illegally."This is LA," she said. "It touches us all. "Everyone has family or knows someone who doesn't have papers."