Acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons issued a statement on Saturday condemning the violence during protests in downtown Los Angeles that erupted during and after a series of federal immigration raids overnight.
Why It Matters
Since his inauguration in January, President Donald Trump has implemented sweeping change, mainly through executive orders, and has prioritized immigration control as a key pillar within the administration.
Recently, the president utilized the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a wartime law that grants the commander-in-chief authority to detain or deport non-citizens. The implementation was originally blocked in federal court and sparked a contentious legal back-and-forth.
Trump also campaigned on the promise of mass deportations and appointed Tom Homan as his administration’s border czar to execute his agenda.
Meanwhile, the confrontations in Los Angeles, a sanctuary city, highlight escalating disputes between federal immigration authorities and city officials over enforcement tactics, community safety, and sanctuary policies.
Tensions ran high as ICE officers, carrying out an increased number of raids under federal policy, were met with anger and direct action from protesters and immigrant rights supporters.
At least 44 people were arrested during the protests, during which officers used pepper spray and tear gas on the hundreds of protesters outside federal buildings, Reuters reported.
What To Know
Lyons addressed the assaults on federal law enforcement officers and criticized local officials for their response after demonstrators clashed with ICE agents—a confrontation that also resulted in the detention of David Huerta, a labor leader.
The enforcement actions drew crowds, estimated in the hundreds, with tensions intensifying as protesters confronted federal officers.
Lyons in a statement published in an X, formerly Twitter, post on Saturday afternoon described the scene as “appalling” and accused Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of prioritizing “chaos and lawlessness over law enforcement.” He also alleged that “over 1,000 rioters surrounded and attacked a federal building” and said it took more than two hours for the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) to respond to ICE officers’ calls for assistance.
Lyons stated that ICE personnel were in the city to arrest “criminal illegal aliens including gang members, drug traffickers and those with a history of assault, cruelty to children, domestic violence, robbery, and smuggling,” and warned that “violent rioters will be held accountable if they harm federal officers.”
The LAPD during had declared an unlawful assembly near the intersection of Alameda and Temple streets after reports surfaced that some protesters had thrown concrete pieces at law enforcement.
The department authorized the use of less-lethal munitions and initiated a citywide tactical alert, keeping all officers on duty. The protest eventually moved toward the Metropolitan Detention Center where further standoffs occurred.
Protests Spread Across Nation
Los Angeles may prove to merely be the flashpoint for wider action. New York has seen tensions bubbling in recent months, particularly around the controversial plan to allow ICE agents to operate out of Rikers Island, the largest prison in New York City.
Tensions have escalated on Saturday as anti-ICE protesters gathered outside the agency’s headquarters in Federal Plaza in Manhattan, attempting to block vans they believed to be carrying detained migrants.
Video and photos have appeared on social media showing protesters standing in the way of the vans as they attempted to drive up the exit ramp from under the headquarters, and New York police attempted to form a barrier between protesters and ICE agents in order to avoid the scenes in Los Angeles.
Those protests followed a similar incident in Chicago earlier this week, in which protesters tried to block a van departing from a South Loop office for the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP), which ICE operates. After a few minutes, the van drove away.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino on Saturday called for calm amid the protests and warned that authorities will not hesitate to act if they feel that protesters have gone too far, writing on X that “the Right to assemble and protest does not include a license to attack law enforcement officers, or to impede and obstruct our lawful immigration operations.”
He added: “We are thoroughly reviewing the evidence from yesterday’s incident in Los Angeles and we are working with the US Attorney’s Office to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice. The days of chaos ruling the streets are over. Either obey the law, or go to jail, there’s no third option.”
What People Are Saying
ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons said on Saturday in part: “These violent rioters will be held accountable if they harm federal officers, and make no mistake, ICE will continue to enforce our nation’s immigration laws and arrest criminal illegal aliens. Sanctuary politicians would do well to remember that impeding our efforts only endangers their communities, law enforcement officers, and the detainees they claim to support.”
President of SEIU California and SEIU- United Service Workers West, David Huerta, who was injured during the protests, said in a statement on Friday: “What happened to me is not about me; This is about something much bigger. This is about how we as a community stand together and resist the injustice that’s happening. Hard-working people, and members of our family and our community, are being treated like criminals. We all collectively have to object to this madness because this is not justice. This is injustice. And we all have to stand on the right side of justice.”
U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California posted to X on Friday: “Federal agents were executing a lawful judicial warrant at a LA worksite this morning when David Huerta deliberately obstructed their access by blocking their vehicle. He was arrested for interfering with federal officers and will face arraignment in federal court on Monday. Let me be clear: I don’t care who you are—if you impede federal agents, you will be arrested and prosecuted. No one has the right to assault, obstruct, or interfere with federal authorities carrying out their duties.”
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement: “The violent targeting of law enforcement in Los Angeles by lawless rioters is despicable and Mayor Bass and Governor Newsom must call for it to end. The men and women of ICE put their lives on the line to protect and defend the lives of American citizens. Make no mistake, Democrat politicians like Hakeem Jeffries, Mayor Wu of Boston, Tim Walz, and Mayor Bass of Los Angeles are contributing to the surge in assaults of our ICE officers through their repeated vilification and demonization of ICE. 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.”
Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef) President and CEO Lindsay Toczylowski in a statement: “As attorneys, we are disgusted by DHS’ blatant betrayal of basic human dignity as we witness hundreds of people held in deplorable conditions without food, water, or beds for 12+ hours. People targeted by ICE are being denied access to attorneys and family visitation, but they’re not the only ones – our own members of Congress are being denied access to conduct their oversight duties. DHS is not above the law, but right now they are treating federal facilities like islands of lawlessness within our city. This is an urgent moment for our country to wake up to the terror ICE is inflicting on communities and take action.”
She added: “When our communities face attacks by ICE, our elected leaders must exercise their constitutional oversight authority to demand transparency and access to federal facilities even in the face of resistance. The administration is testing Los Angeles to see if we break under pressure, but we won’t back down because our communities are worth defending with everything we’ve got. We implore our elected leaders to be the eyes, ears, and voice of the families being torn apart, the workers being ripped from their jobs, and the saving grace of the hundreds of people being held in unspeakable conditions in ICE custody.”
What Happens Next?
Federal authorities have indicated that investigations into assaults on law enforcement during the Los Angeles protests are ongoing, with possible charges for those involved.
At the same time, advocacy groups and officials continue to demand accountability from federal agencies amid calls for the release of detained protesters and further reviews of ICE’s enforcement tactics.
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