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Troops, terror and tears in Los Angeles as Ice raids show no sign of slowing
Troops, terror and tears in Los Angeles as Ice raids show no sign of slowing

Yahoo

time7 days ago

  • Politics
  • Yahoo

Troops, terror and tears in Los Angeles as Ice raids show no sign of slowing

It was an extraordinary show of force, displayed in a mostly empty public park. On 7 July, a convoy of federal agents descended upon Los Angeles's MacArthur Park – in the heart of a predominantly immigrant neighborhood. Chaperones from a summer camp hurried children indoors, as protesters and media rushed to the scene. It was unclear whether immigration officials actually arrested anyone that morning. City leaders denounced the spectacle as a 'political stunt' designed to terrorize Angelenos who have been reckoning with a relentless onslaught of immigration raids that began in early June. The ubiquitous presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents, and the threat of arrest, have become a part of daily life for immigrants across the city and broader region. The raids have also taken an economic toll on neighborhoods like MacArthur Park, where business owners say trade has slowed to a crawl as people choose to stay home. Related: 'Reality TV spectacle': outrage as federal agents raid LA neighborhood with horses and armored cars Right across from the park, B&Z Osorio Restaurant has seen business cut in half since the Trump administration ramped up enforcement in the city. CO, who asked to be identified only by initials for safety reasons, is an employee at the restaurant known for its pupusas and sopa de gallina. He said that when the troops showed up earlier this week, a security guard ran into stores to warn everyone. Customers who were dining dashed outside to their cars. CO and his uncle slid a metal gate to close the entryway. Since the onset of raids, CO said, his uncle, the owner and founder, has cut back on restaurant hours and produce orders to save money due to the drop-off in customers. At 10am on Thursday, when the restaurant would usually be full of families eating breakfast, there was only one booth occupied. CO says that they have tried calling their local customers to offer them special deals, but many families have refused. 'They're either too scared or they haven't gone to work because of Ice. They say they'd rather cook at home. It's better and safer,' CO said. Monday's 'stunt and show of power', CO said, did little to help improve the current situation: 'Our customer base is mainly Hispanic. They are targeted the most.' It's been nearly a month since immigration raids in LA and the surrounding region sparked massive protests. But as the weeks wear on and the demonstrations die down, the Trump administration's enforcement operations showed no sign of slowing. Lawyers and advocates say that those arrested, including some US citizens, have been targeted for arrest at random – and probably because of how they look. In a legal complaint, legal aid and immigrant rights groups have accused the DHS of engaging 'in an extraordinary campaign of targeting people based on nothing more than the color of their skin, and in some cases, where they live or work'. On Friday, a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order against the government's aggressive immigration sweeps, barring federal agents from stopping people in the district unless there is 'reasonable suspicion' that a person is violating immigration law. The order stops agents from using factors including 'apparent race or ethnicity, speaking Spanish or English with an accent, presence at a particular location (eg bus stop, car wash, tow yard, day laborer pick up site, agricultural site, etc)' as reasons to stop someone. The ruling could have major implications – disrupting the federal government's relentless raids in the region. For weeks, armed and masked agents have made arrests outside car washes, Home Depot stores, churches and schools. Immigrants have been wrested away from their tamale carts and fruit stalls. On Thursday, agents targeted farms in Ventura county, north-west of LA, and arrested 200 people. One farm worker died, after a 30ft fall from a building during the raid. Since 6 June, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has said that it has arrested nearly 2,800 immigrants across the region. Limited publicly available arrest data from the DHS shows that most of those who were arrested had no criminal convictions. Some have already been swiftly deported to their home countries. Others have been sent to immigration detention centers in California's high deserts or to facilities out of state, where they have been without medications and adequate food. Families and lawyers have had trouble finding and speaking to loved ones who have been arrested. MacArthur Park, about 2 miles (3km) west of the city's downtown, has been known since the 1980s as the Ellis Island of the west for its diverse population, a home for many Mexican and Central American immigrants who speak Indigenous languages. The park has also been a central area for free meal distributions for those in need and a summer camp for kids run by Los Angeles's parks and recreation department. Jerica Medina, a cosmetician from Honduras, says that business has slowed down at her two MacArthur Park hair and nail salons – and that even the Covid-19 pandemic was busier than what's going on now with the Ice presence. 'I'm sad and angry for this community. It's impossible for us [the Latino community] to win,' Medina said, with tears falling slowly down her face. 'You know what Hitler did? That's what I feel right now. Except there are a lot of cellphones to record what happens.' At the Home Depot up on Wilshire Boulevard, a dozen jornaleros (day laborers) stand outside the parking lot. The dozens of vehicles and horses seen on Monday are no longer here, but two volunteers wearing sunhats still look at the cars passing by through binoculars to ensure that they are not Ice vehicles. Fernando Isaí, a volunteer organizer with the Los Angeles Tenants Union who was on patrol, said that since the first Ice raids at this store in June, community members have come together in shifts to help protect the area. The focus is on building consent with the workers and a 'network of care'. Related: California mayor on Trump's immigration raids: 'It is a campaign of domestic terror' 'There was a very low turnout among jornaleros that week after the first raids,' Isaí said. Although people were on high alert, he said, workers had come back even this week. The tenants' union and other community organizations have focused on sharing information about immigrant rights and how to verify any sightings. Violet, who declined to give her last name for privacy concerns, said that fewer clients were coming into her supplement and natural healing shop. However, more people are calling in and reporting that they can't sleep and experience more anxiety and depression. Despite everything that is going on, she and the other doctors tell clients to stay positive. 'When something bad happens, we retain it. We have the capacity of quickly forgetting everything good that has happened to us and everything that we have achieved,' she said, trying to strike a note of optimism. 'This will pass.' This article was amended on 14 July 2025. A previous version said Ventura county was east of Los Angeles. It's actually north-west of LA. The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select 'Secure Messaging'. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post See our guide at for alternative methods and the pros and cons of each.

Former us marine corps reservist charged in texas immigration detention center shooting
Former us marine corps reservist charged in texas immigration detention center shooting

Al Arabiya

time16-07-2025

  • Al Arabiya

Former us marine corps reservist charged in texas immigration detention center shooting

A former US Marine Corps reservist has been arrested and charged with attempted murder in connection with an attack at a Texas immigration detention center in which a police officer was shot in the neck, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. Benjamin Hanil Song, 32, is the latest person charged in the Fourth of July assault in which attackers dressed in black military-style clothing opened fire outside the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, southwest of Dallas, according to the US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas. Song, from Dallas, was arrested after a weeklong search and has been charged with three counts of attempted murder of federal agents and three counts of discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, the office said in a statement. He is accused of purchasing four of the guns linked to the attack, it said. US District Court records do not list names of attorneys representing Song or scheduled court appearances. US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas did not immediately respond to an email asking whether Song has an attorney. The officer wounded in the attack has since been released from the hospital. Ten people, most of them from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, have previously been charged with attempted murder of a federal officer and discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. Another person has been charged with obstruction of justice for concealing evidence, while two others were charged with accessory after the fact for allegedly helping Song get away. If convicted, most of the defendants could face up to life imprisonment, while those charged with obstruction of justice and accessory after the fact would face lesser penalties if convicted, according to federal prosecutors. The shooting took place as President Donald Trump's administration ramps up deportations. The attackers initially set off fireworks and spray-painted vehicles and a guard structure including the words 'Ice Pig,' according to a criminal complaint. This was designed to lure correctional officers outside the facility, according to US Attorney's Office. Correctional officers called 911 and an Alvarado police officer responded and someone in the woods opened fire. Another person across the street fired 20 to 30 rounds at correctional officers who were unarmed after they walked out of the facility, according to the office's statement. After the group fled, sheriff's deputies stopped seven people about 300 yards (275 meters) from where the officer was shot, according to a criminal complaint. They were dressed in black military-style clothing, some had on body armor, some were covered in mud, some were armed, and some had radios, the complaint said. A sheriff's office detective also stopped a van leaving the area and found two AR-style rifles and a pistol along with ballistic-style vests and a helmet, the complaint said. The driver, the only person in the van, said he had been at the detention center. He said he had met some people online and drove some of them to the detention center from Dallas to make some noise, according to the complaint. Song's cellphones location data shows it was near the detention center from about 11:30 p.m. on July 4 and throughout the day on July 5, according to a criminal complaint. 'Though Song escaped by hiding overnight after the attack, we were confident he would not remain hidden for long,' Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Nancy E. Larson said in a statement. 'The fourteen individuals who planned and participated in these heinous acts will be prosecuted and we expect justice will be swift.'

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