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CBS News
3 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
LAUSD teachers, students hold rally for high school student detained by immigration agents
Los Angeles Unified School District teachers and students gathered outside of the district's downtown headquarters on Tuesday to rally in support of a high school student who is currently in the custody of federal immigration agents. Benjamin Marcelo Guerrero-Cruz, 18, was detained by immigration agents on Aug. 8 while he was walking his family's dog in Van Nuys, according to Unión del Barrio, a community organization representing Latino people living in the U.S., according to their website. "We promise you, if you continue to mess with our students, we will fight back," said Ron Gochez, the organization's president. He was one of many who spoke during Tuesday's rally. They're calling for his release so he can begin his senior year at Reseda High School, but he remains in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. One of Guerrero-Cruz's neighbors was also on hand at the demonstration. She says that she saw the moment he was detained. "How can any of us turn a blind eye to cruel, unjust treatment happening right in front of us? Where is the compassion? Where is the humanity?" she said. Lizette Becerra, an LAUSD educator who was formerly one of Guerrero-Cruz's teachers, told the rally that she visited him at the Adelanto Detention Center and that he said the agents had initially asked for someone else. "He said that 'without any warning,' men came up to him and grabbed him by the arm, started asking him for this other person, and they said, 'Are you this person?'" Becerra said, while speaking to the crowd. "He said, 'No, I'm not.'" But, according to her account, agents had then detained him. She also alleged that they had arrested Guerrero-Cruz without a warrant and had let his dog go free. "They took his dog, and at some point, from inside the car, he saw them unclip the dog and someone stomped on the ground so that the dog would run free," Becerra claimed. She also described the conditions that Guerrero-Cruz was living in since his detainment. She said that he's residing in a crowded cell, where he has to sleep next to a toilet. She said that he's lost about 20 pounds because he's unable to eat due to anxiety. "He should be in a classroom with us. He does not need to be in detention. Our students need to be safe," Becerra said. In response to a request for comment on the incident, the Department of Homeland Security shared a statement that said Guerrero-Cruz was an "illegal alien from Chile" who had overstayed a visa by more than two years. They say that he was required to leave the U.S. in 2023, and that he would remain in ICE custody "pending removal." "The allegations about CBP officers are FALSE, and it is lies like these that are contributing violence against our officers," the statement said. "Our officers acted professionally throughout the encounter. Guerrero-Cruz tied the dog to a tree after his mother refused to come and retrieve it. ... Under normal conditions, CBP would be able to call animal control and wait for them to help, however because of the increase in assaults, obstruction of operations, and rhetoric ... in the LA area they are unable to do this." Demonstrators say that they plan to continue holding rallies to push for Guerrero-Cruz's release so he can be reunited with his family and classmates.
Los Angeles Times
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
LAPD says it didn't help ICE during downtown L.A. raid; Immigration rights groups disagree
Immigrant rights activists are denouncing the Los Angeles Police Department after officers were videotaped separating an angry crowd from a group of masked federal agents as they loaded a woman into the back of an SUV. 'The people were coming out to defend them and guess who protected the kidnappers who are kidnapping our people? LAPD officers,' said Union del Barrio member Ron Gochez at a demonstration outside LAPD headquarters Tuesday. The video, which was shared with ABC7, has inflamed tensions between L.A.'s Latino community and the LAPD and comes amid increasingly aggressive federal immigration sweeps across Southern California. The department has issued a statement insisting that it was not cooperating with federal authorities. Instead, the officers were responding to reports of a kidnapping in downtown Tuesday, when they stumbled upon federal immigration agents conducting a raid before an 'agitated' crowd. The officers took a position between spectators and immigration agents in attempt to 'de-escalate tensions,' the release said. But immigrant rights groups, including Unión del Barrio and the Community Self-Defense Coalition, have pushed back on the notion that the city and the LAPD are not helping federal authorities. They say police were there to hold the crowd back as ICE agents detained people. At the demonstration outside LAPD headquarters, Gochez held up a smart phone and showed the video as he singled out Mayor Karen Bass and Police Chief Jim McDonnell for blame. 'They have the audacity to continue to lie, to say that the LAPD is not collaborating with ICE.' Under a sanctuary city ordinance adopted in 2024, Los Angeles city officials are barred from using municipal resources and employees for immigration enforcement. According to the LAPD, the incident began with officers responding to a report of a suspected kidnapping near East 9th Street and South Spring Street around 9:10 a.m. The report specified that people were trying to kidnap others without identifying themselves. LAPD officers said the crowd 'was growing increasingly agitated and spilled into the street, creating a volatile situation and a significant public safety hazard due to traffic and congestion in the busy downtown corridor.' Police also said a 'partially handcuffed woman' approached an LAPD officer and was then detained by a federal agent. The LAPD said they weren't involved in her detention or arrest. 'The Federal agents did not notify LAPD of their planned enforcement activity in advance,' the release said. 'The Department responded based solely on the initial radio call reporting a potential kidnapping. No arrests were made by LAPD.' The department said that officers stayed at the scene to 'de-escalate tension, move pedestrians out of the roadway and allow emergency vehicles safe passage.'
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why did Trump deploy the National Guard to LA protests? How many have been arrested? What to know
WASHINGTON – National Guard members have started to arrive in Los Angeles after President Donald Trump ordered thousands of troops to the area over tense protests targeting the administration's crackdown on immigration enforcement. With demonstrations set to continue in the afternoon, area officials have declared an unlawful assembly and responded to protests over the weekend by firing tear gas, pepper spray and flash-bang concussion rounds toward gathering crowds. Video footage of some of the protests showed dozens of green-uniformed security personnel with gas masks, lined up on a road strewn with overturned shopping carts as small canisters exploded into gas clouds. Demonstrators allege the Trump administration's immigration enforcement has violated civil and human rights. The sweeping immigration efforts, a hallmark of Trump's second term, has also caught up people legally residing in the country and led to legal challenges. "Now they know that they cannot go to anywhere in this country where our people are, and try to kidnap our workers, our people – they cannot do that without an organized and fierce resistance," said protester Ron Gochez, 44. But where are the protests taking place? How is California Gov. Gavin Newsom responding? Here's what to know: More: Illegal border crossings at record lows as crackdown spreads Trump ordered approximately 2,000 National Guard troops to help quell the protests in Los Angeles, where helmeted police in riot gear clashed with protesters who opposed tougher federal actions against undocumented immigrants. Some protesters hurled large chunks of broken concrete at officers, slashed tires and defaced buildings, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump signed a memo June 7 deploying the guardsmen 'to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester.' 'The Trump Administration has a zero tolerance policy for criminal behavior and violence, especially when that violence is aimed at law enforcement officers trying to do their jobs,' she said in a statement. On June 7, a large protest erupted in the city of Paramount in Los Angeles County, about 15 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. It came as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducted enforcement operations in the area and arrested at least 44 people on alleged immigration violations. About 350 to 400 protesters had gathered, and some were seen throwing objects at agents. Since then, demonstrations have widened out across parts of Los Angeles. A second protest in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night attracted approximately 60 people, who chanted slogans including "ICE out of L.A.!" The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said two deputies were taken to an area hospital for injuries, but they have since been released, according to multiple reports. Demonstrators have also reported injuries. One skirmish involved the arrest of a union leader, David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union of California, who said he was injured and detained by ICE. Newsom wrote in a post on X on June 7 that the move from the federal government to deploy National Guard troops is 'purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions.' "LA authorities are able to access law enforcement assistance at a moment's notice. We are in close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need," Newsom wrote, alleging "This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust." The Department of Homeland Security said that ICE operations have resulted in the arrests of 118 undocumented immigrants last week in Los Angeles, including five alleged gang members and others with criminal records for smuggling, drug trafficking and assault. Los Angeles police confirmed early on June 8 that one person had been arrested in connection with the demonstrations, along with several others who were detained but not yet formally charged, according to multiple reports. Contributing: Bart Jansen, USA TODAY; Reuters This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What to know about tense immigration protests in Paramount, LA
AsiaOne
08-06-2025
- Politics
- AsiaOne
Protesters rally against immigration agents for second day in Los Angeles, World News
LOS ANGELES -Federal agents in Los Angeles faced off against demonstrators for a second day in a row on Saturday (June 7) following immigration raids a day earlier, prompting a senior White House official to call the protests a "violent insurrection." The security agents on Saturday were in a tense confrontation with protesters in the Paramount area in southeast Los Angeles, where some demonstrators displayed Mexican flags and others covered their mouths with respiratory masks. Live video footage showed dozens of green-uniformed security personnel with gas masks lined up on a road strewn with overturned shopping carts as small canisters exploded into gas clouds. "Now they know that they cannot go to anywhere in this country where our people are, and try to kidnap our workers, our people -- they cannot do that without an organised and fierce resistance," said protester Ron Gochez, 44. Kristi Noem, the head of the Department of Homeland Security, said on X: "A message to the LA rioters: you will not stop us or slow us down." Trump's border czar Tom Homan said on Fox News that the National Guard would be deployed in Los Angeles on Saturday evening. A first round of protests kicked off on Friday night after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducted enforcement operations in the city and arrested at least 44 people on alleged immigration violations. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that "1,000 rioters surrounded a federal law enforcement building and assaulted Ice law enforcement officers, slashed tires, defaced buildings, and taxpayer funded property." Reuters was unable to verify DHS's accounts. Angelica Salas, executive director of immigrants rights organisation Chirla, said lawyers had not had access to those detained on Friday, which she called "very worrying." Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner and the White House deputy chief of staff, wrote on X that Friday's demonstrations were "an insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States." On Saturday, he described the day's protests as a "violent insurrection." The protests pit Democratic-run Los Angeles, where census data suggests a significant portion of the population is Hispanic and foreign-born, against Trump's Republican White House, which has made cracking down on immigration a hallmark of his second term. Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people in the country illegally and lock down the US-Mexico border, with the White House setting a goal for Ice to arrest at least 3,000 migrants per day. But the sweeping immigration crackdown has also caught up people legally residing in the country, including some with permanent residence, and has led to legal challenges. In a statement on Saturday about the protests in Paramount, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office said: "It appeared that federal law enforcement officers were in the area, and that members of the public were gathering to protest." Salas of Chirla said protesters gathered after an Ice contingent appeared to be using parking lots near a Paramount Home Depot store as a base. Ice, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Los Angeles Police Department did not respond to a request for comment on the protests or potential immigration sweeps on Saturday. Political divisions over Friday's sweep Television news footage on Friday showed unmarked vehicles resembling military transport and vans loaded with uniformed federal agents streaming through Los Angeles streets as part of the immigration enforcement operation. [[nid:718740]] Raids occurred around Home Depots, where street vendors and day laborers were picked up, as well as at a garment factory and a warehouse, Salas of Chirla said. The Democratic mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, in a statement condemned the immigration raids. "I am deeply angered by what has taken place," Bass said. "These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. We will not stand for this." The LAPD did not take part in the immigration enforcement. It was deployed to quell civil unrest after crowds protesting the deportation raids spray-painted anti-Ice slogans on the walls of a federal court building and gathered outside a nearby jail where some of the detainees were reportedly being held. In a statement, DHS criticised Democratic politicians including Mayor Bass, saying their anti-Ice rhetoric was contributing to violence against immigration agents. "From comparisons to the modern-day Nazi gestapo to glorifying rioters, the violent rhetoric of these sanctuary politicians is beyond the pale. This violence against Ice must end," said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
The Star
08-06-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Protesters rally against immigration agents for second day in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Federal agents in Los Angeles faced off against demonstrators for a second day in a row on Saturday following immigration raids a day earlier, prompting a senior White House official to call the protests a "violent insurrection." The security agents on Saturday were in a tense confrontation with protesters in the Paramount area in southeast Los Angeles, where some demonstrators displayed Mexican flags and others covered their mouths with respiratory masks. Live video footage showed dozens of green-uniformed security personnel with gas masks lined up on a road strewn with overturned shopping carts as small canisters exploded into gas clouds. "Now they know that they cannot go to anywhere in this country where our people are, and try to kidnap our workers, our people -- they cannot do that without an organized and fierce resistance," said protester Ron Gochez, 44. Kristi Noem, the head of the Department of Homeland Security, said on X: "A message to the LA rioters: you will not stop us or slow us down." Trump's border czar Tom Homan said on Fox News that the National Guard would be deployed in Los Angeles on Saturday evening. A first round of protests kicked off on Friday night after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducted enforcement operations in the city and arrested at least 44 people on alleged immigration violations. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that "1,000 rioters surrounded a federal law enforcement building and assaulted ICE law enforcement officers, slashed tires, defaced buildings, and taxpayer funded property." Reuters was unable to verify DHS's accounts. Angelica Salas, executive director of immigrants rights organization Chirla, said lawyers had not had access to those detained on Friday, which she called "very worrying." Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner and the White House deputy chief of staff, wrote on X that Friday's demonstrations were "an insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States." On Saturday, he described the day's protests as a "violent insurrection." The protests pit Democratic-run Los Angeles, where census data suggests a significant portion of the population is Hispanic and foreign-born, against Trump's Republican White House, which has made cracking down on immigration a hallmark of his second term. Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people in the country illegally and lock down the U.S.-Mexico border, with the White House setting a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3,000 migrants per day. But the sweeping immigration crackdown has also caught up people legally residing in the country, including some with permanent residence, and has led to legal challenges. In a statement on Saturday about the protests in Paramount, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office said: "It appeared that federal law enforcement officers were in the area, and that members of the public were gathering to protest." Salas of Chirla said protesters gathered after an ICE contingent appeared to be using parking lots near a Paramount Home Depot store as a base. ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Los Angeles Police Department did not respond to a request for comment on the protests or potential immigration sweeps on Saturday. POLITICAL DIVISIONS OVER FRIDAY'S SWEEP Television news footage on Friday showed unmarked vehicles resembling military transport and vans loaded with uniformed federal agents streaming through Los Angeles streets as part of the immigration enforcement operation. Raids occurred around Home Depots, where street vendors and day laborers were picked up, as well as at a garment factory and a warehouse, Salas of Chirla said. The Democratic mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, in a statement condemned the immigration raids. "I am deeply angered by what has taken place," Bass said. "These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. We will not stand for this." The LAPD did not take part in the immigration enforcement. It was deployed to quell civil unrest after crowds protesting the deportation raids spray-painted anti-ICE slogans on the walls of a federal court building and gathered outside a nearby jail where some of the detainees were reportedly being held. In a statement, DHS criticized Democratic politicians including Mayor Bass, saying their anti-ICE rhetoric was contributing to violence against immigration agents. "From comparisons to the modern-day Nazi gestapo to glorifying rioters, the violent rhetoric of these sanctuary politicians is beyond the pale. This violence against ICE must end," said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. (Additional reporting by Lucia Mutikani, Alexandra Ulmer, Michael Martina; Writing by Alexandra Ulmer and Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Diane Craft and Deepa Babington)
