L.A. city councilmembers spar with police chief over immigration protests

Los Angeles Times

a day ago

Los Angeles city councilmembers sparred with Police Chief Jim McDonnell Tuesday over the LAPD's handling of protests against President Trump's immigration crackdown, with some challenging the department's relationship with its federal counterparts.
The chief appeared before the council to discuss the LAPD's attempts to control the protests that have erupted mostly in downtown Los Angeles every day since Friday, sometimes descending into chaos.
Mayor Karen Bass and other local officials have decried both the federal immigration raids that prompted the protests and the vandalism and violence that have broken out at some protests. Over Gov. Gavin Newsom's objections, the Trump administration has sent the National Guard and Marines to L.A., which Bass lambasted as unnecessary. She said Tuesday that she is considering a curfew for downtown L.A., as the protests showed no sign of abating and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the military deployments would last at least 60 days.
McDonnell told the City Council that his officers arrested 114 people at protests Monday night — 53 for failure to disperse and 15 for looting. One person was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon on an officer and another was arrested for attempted murder. The LAPD arrested 27 people at protests on Saturday and 40 on Sunday.
In the testiest exchange of the afternoon, Councilmember Imelda Padilla asked the chief if the LAPD would consider warning city officials if it hears from federal law enforcement that immigration raids are coming.
'You're asking me to warn you about an enforcement action being taken by another agency before it happens? We can't do that,' McDonnell responded, noting that such a warning would amount to obstruction of justice.
'That would be completely inappropriate and illegal,' he said.
City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson said he disagreed with the chief on referring to agencies like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as 'law enforcement partners.'
'If we know somebody is coming here to do warrantless abductions of the residents of this city, those are not our partners,' he said. 'I don't care what badge they have on or whose orders they're under. They're not our partners.'
In an interview after the meeting, McDonnell said his department must continue to cooperate with federal agencies on issues other than immigration enforcement. Since 1979, the LAPD has taken a strong stance against enforcing federal immigration law, prohibiting its officers from initiating contact with anyone for the sole purpose of learning their immigration status.
'All of the crimes we investigate, potentially could be in partnership with [federal agencies],' McDonnell said. 'It is a partnership, and without that partnership, we wouldn't be able to go into the World Cup, the Olympics ... that require that we work with federal, state and local partners.'
Other councilmembers took aim at the chief over his officers' shooting of rubber bullets during the protests.
'To see a reporter get shot with a rubber bullet ... on live television does not add to the de-escalation,' said Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, referring to an Australian reporter who was shot during a protest on Sunday. 'We have to be mindful of the tactics being used by some LAPD members that is adding to the escalation.'
'Just like a few protesters can take away from the messaging, the same thing can be said about LAPD. It overshadows the response,' he added.
Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez said that some LAPD officers acted 'out of line for the situation.'
'I have lawyers posting videos of them getting shot,' she said. 'I've seen videos of non-lethals being fired at protesters more than 50 yards away.'
McDonnell replied that the LAPD is the best department in the country at holding its officers' accountable for their actions. But he said he couldn't speak about specific uses of force by his officers at the protests, since the situation was still developing.
On Tuesday, City Councilmembers Tim McOsker, Ysabel Jurado and Eunisses Hernandez signed a proposal asking various city agencies to provide information on the security infrastructure to 'prevent unlawful entry by federal entities' at City Hall, council offices, public service counters, city-owned parking lots and other facilities.
'As this Federal political theater plays out, the safety of City facilities must be given special consideration for the sake of both City employees and the public,' the proposal said.