Federal agents in tactical gear armed with military-style rifles threw flash-bang grenades to disperse an angry crowd near downtown Los Angeles on Friday as they conducted an immigration raid on a clothing wholesaler, the latest sign of tensions between protesters and law enforcement over raids carried out at stores, restaurants and court buildings.
The operation was one of at least two immigration sweeps conducted in Los Angeles on Friday. In the other one, federal agents converged at a Home Depot where day laborers regularly gather in search of work.
The raid at the clothing wholesaler began about 9:15 a.m. in the Fashion District, less than two miles from Los Angeles City Hall.
It was an extraordinary show of force. Dozens of federal agents wearing helmets and green camouflage arrived in two hulking armored trucks and other unmarked vehicles, and were soon approached by a crowd of immigrant activists and supporters. Some agents carried riot shields and others held rifles, as well as shotguns that appeared to be loaded with less-than-lethal ammunition.
Agents cleared a path for two white passenger vans that exited the area. A short time later, as officers boarded their vehicles to leave, a few agents lobbed flash-bang grenades at groups of people who chased alongside the slow-moving convoy. Some protesters had thrown eggs and other objects at the vehicles. At one point, the vehicles snagged and crushed at least two electric scooters that protesters had used.
The operation drew immediate criticism from officials in Los Angeles, a Democratic-led city in a county where more than 30 percent of residents are immigrants.
“As Mayor of a proud city of immigrants, who contribute to our city in so many ways, I am deeply angered by what has taken place,” Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles said in a statement, adding: “My Office is in close coordination with immigrant rights community organizations. We will not stand for this.”
Omar Diaz, 26, was working inside the clothing wholesaler in the morning when several agents entered the building and corralled the roughly 20 to 30 workers inside and lined them up against a wall.
“They interviewed us one by one,” Mr. Diaz said. “They would take us separately, ask us where we were born, and then they wanted our ID and our information.”
After being detained for about an hour, Mr. Diaz, who said he is a U.S. citizen, and a few others were let go. But some of his co-workers, who are mostly immigrants from Mexico and South Korea, remained with the authorities, Mr. Diaz said.
“My friend is still in there, too, so I’m worried about him,” Mr. Diaz said outside the front entrance of the building.
A group of activists aboard a truck repeated a list of rights over a loudspeaker, hoping those detained inside could hear them.
Gloria Miguel, an organizer with a local workers group, said she saw two women crying as the raid unfolded.
“The woman was crying: ‘My husband is in there. I need help,’” Ms. Miguel said in Spanish, adding that there was another woman who was crying because her father was inside.
It was unclear how many immigration enforcement operations were carried out in Los Angeles on Friday, and the authorities did not say whether anyone had been arrested. Janice Hahn, a Los Angeles County supervisor, said David Huerta, the president of a labor union, was injured and detained by federal agents.
Agents at the scene were wearing patches on their uniforms identifying themselves as being with the F.B.I., Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Laura Eimiller, a spokeswoman for the F.B.I. field office in Los Angeles, said the F.B.I. was supporting its partners with the Department of Homeland Security, under the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“As we have been asked to do, we are sending agents to participate in these immigration enforcement efforts,” Ms. Eimiller said. “That includes assisting in cities where major operations are already underway and where we have special agents embedded on operational teams with D.H.S.”
Officials did not say if there were any injuries. One man on the street said he was injured by a flash-bang grenade.
“They started throwing flash-bangs and blew everybody up with it,” the man, David McDaniel, said as he held his bloody foot. “I got shrapnel all over my body,” he added.
Mr. McDaniel said he was not part of the protest and was just trying to get by. Bystanders and legal observers assisted him as they waited for an ambulance.
Chief Jim McDonnell of the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement that his agency was not involved in civil immigration enforcement efforts.
“While the LAPD will continue to have a visible presence in all our communities to ensure public safety, we will not assist or participate in any sort of mass deportations,” Chief McDonnell said, adding that the department would not attempt to determine anyone’s immigration status.
The Los Angeles police have had a policy in place since 1979 that bars officers from initiating police action for the sole purpose of determining someone’s immigration status. California law also prohibits state and local resources from being used to help with federal immigration enforcement.
The immigration sweeps in Los Angeles came one week after a similar operation in San Diego. Video of that raid showed federal agents using what appeared to be flash-bang grenades in an effort to disperse a group of people protesting the action.
That raid prompted members of Congress to write to the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, with questions about the tactics used by federal agents.
Orlando Mayorquín is a Times reporter covering California. He is based in Los Angeles.
Jesus Jiménez is a Times reporter covering Southern California.
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