Anti-ICE protesters face off with Homeland Security officers and Marines outside the federal building in downtown Los Angeles on Monday evening
Martin Kaste
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Martin Kaste
The dispute over President Trump’s decision to federalize thousands of National Guard troops and deploy them to Los Angeles has moved to a San Francisco federal appeals court.
On Tuesday, it heard a request from the Trump Administration to extend the block on a lower court’s ruling that required Trump to return control of the Guard to California Governor Gavin Newsom.
The president sent more than 4,000 Guard members to the city to protect federal property and employees during tumultuous protests against immigration enforcement; Newsom says the deployment of the Guard and an additional 700 Marines was an overreaction and counter-productive.
But while the status of the military units in Los Angeles remains undecided, the immigration raids that touched off the protests in early June have intensified.
“Operations are getting a little bit more faster, and they’re in and out,” says Vlad Carrasco, with the immigrant advocacy group CHIRLA, where he’s part of a “rapid response” effort that rushes to the sites of reported raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. Carrasco says he used to be able to get there in time to document ICE actions, but that changed in early June. Now when he gets to the scene, ICE is leaving or already gone.
“They know it’ll likely cause a mobilization by the local community if they do stay there a long time,” Carrasco says.
Advocacy groups have been sharing videos of ICE and other immigration enforcement officers being confronted by angry civilians. In some cases, National Guard soldiers will emerge from a van to establish a protective line between agents and members of the public, but observers say the more common defensive tactic is speed.
Combine that with the fact that agents are sometimes in plainclothes, masked, or wear insignia from other federal agencies, and the result is widespread fear, says Guillermo Torres of Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice
“It makes you think of a totalitarian regime,” Torres says. “It makes you think of a country where people are kidnapped. Not only kidnapped, they disappear.”
The Trump administration lays the blame for the stepped-up raids in L.A. on the city itself, and its policies limiting cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration enforcement. Administration officials, including “border czar” Tom Homan, have frequently stated that “sanctuary” jurisdictions compel federal agents to conduct risky arrests in neighborhoods. This is because they are unable to take custody of their targets from local jails when they are arrested on non-immigration charges by local law enforcement.
“Operations have become significantly more challenging due to Los Angeles’ and California’s sanctuary policies,” expressed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem last week.
In response to concerns about agent safety, ICE’s acting director, Todd Lyons, emphasized the necessity for agents to wear masks. He cited efforts to post agents’ photos and names online, leading to threats against them and their families.
“Is anyone disturbed by the fact that ICE officers’ families have been labeled ‘terrorists’?” Lyons questioned earlier this month.
On the other hand, Oscar Zarate from CHIRLA pointed out that the presence of personnel from various federal agencies in immigration enforcement in Los Angeles has heightened anxiety levels. The involvement of Homeland Security Investigations, Customs and Border Protection, and the Drug Enforcement Administration has caused confusion among residents.
Zarate noted, “Because some agents are in plain clothes and unmarked vehicles, it’s challenging to identify their purpose.” He added that CHIRLA’s rapid response team is receiving more mistaken reports from individuals mistaking local law enforcement activities for ICE operations.
Furthermore, ICE agents might soon be required to display more visible identifiers following a class action lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Southern California in 2020. The lawsuit challenges immigration enforcement officers who allegedly pose as regular police to entice individuals out of their homes.
A federal court has granted preliminary approval to a settlement that would mandate certain ICE personnel in the Los Angeles region to wear more prominent insignia. This measure aims to reduce confusion between ICE officers and regular police.
However, the impact of the court settlement is limited as it only applies to ICE and not to employees of other federal law enforcement agencies involved in President Trump’s mass deportation plan.
