9 hours ago
How One LA Restaurant Opened Its Doors to Injured Police During Protests
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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A Salvadoran restaurant in Los Angeles opened its doors to police officers injured in escalating protests against the deportation of illegal immigrants over the weekend.
Pupuseria La Ceiba workers were seen on ABC 7 footage tending to deputies who appeared to be hit with tear gas in Compton.
Newsweek reached out to the restaurant and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for comment via email Monday afternoon.
Why It Matters
Compton was one of the neighborhoods hit by violent clashes as protestors demonstrating against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids targeted federal agents carrying out immigration raids as part of President Trump's mass deportation policy.
Local law enforcement were called in to try and calm the situation, but they were not part of immigration enforcement efforts, due to sanctuary laws in both L.A. and California.
Restaurant workers in Compton, Los Angeles, were seen helping sheriff's deputies over the weekend, following violent clashes between protestors and federal agents.
Restaurant workers in Compton, Los Angeles, were seen helping sheriff's deputies over the weekend, following violent clashes between protestors and federal agents.
ABC 7 Los Angeles
What To Know
Federal officers in tactical gear fired tear gas and other non-lethal weapons toward protestors in Compton and Paramount on Saturday, as efforts to quell the riots and violent outbursts ramped up.
The footage from Pupuseria La Ceiba showed staff tending to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office deputies, rubbing what appeared to be milk in their eyes following the clashes in the streets nearby. Once the deputies were cleaned up, they went back to their duties. It was not immediately clear where the tear gas came from.
The Associated Press reported that Compton's streets were littered with the remnants of tear gas pellets, as well as charred remnants of fires on Sunday morning, with locals clearing up as much as possible.
Some in the neighborhood said they were angry at being left to clean up the mess, while others expressed their support for the immigrants living and working in the area.
Over 100 people were arrested following the riots, some by federal agents and others by local law enforcement.
The Trump administration has insisted that federal agents were targeting national security and public safety threats, as part of ongoing operations to deliver on President Trump's promise of mass deportations. The White House accused Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom of not acting soon enough to ease tensions, leading to the deployment of the National Guard to Compton and other protest areas.
What People Are Saying
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, in a post on X Monday: "I just met with LA immigrant rights community leaders as we respond to this chaotic escalation by the Administration. Let me be absolutely clear – as a united city, we are demanding the end to these lawless attacks on our communities. Los Angeles will always stand with EVERYONE who calls our city home."
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, in a statement Sunday: "These rioters in Los Angeles are fighting to keep rapists, murderers, and other violent criminals loose on Los Angeles streets. Instead of rioting, they should be thanking ICE officers every single day who wake up and make our communities safer."
Former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, on X: "California Governor Newsom didn't request the National Guard be deployed to his state following peaceful demonstrations. Trump sent them anyway. It's the first time in 60 years a president has made that choice. Trump's goal isn't to keep Californians safe. His goal is to cause chaos, because chaos is good for Trump."
What's Next
Communities in LA were continuing to clean up Monday, as more anti-ICE protests were planned in the city and across the country.
