Authorities in the United States have extended their immigration crackdown operation in the Los Angeles, California area for a second day following protests at a federal detention centre that were met with police tear gas and stun grenades.
Border Patrol personnel stood in front of an industrial park in the city of Paramount, clad in riot gear and gas masks on Saturday, as bystanders jeered.
“ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] out of Paramount. We see you for what you are,” a woman announced through a megaphone. “You are not welcome here.”
One hand-held sign said, “No Human Being is Illegal.”
The boulevard was closed to traffic as US Border Patrol circulated the area.
ICE arrested at least 44 people on Friday after executing search warrants at multiple locations, including a clothing warehouse in what opponents described as an “oppressive and vile paramilitary operation”.
The raids quickly triggered protests and demonstrators blocked entrances and exits for the Edward R Royal Federal Building in downtown LA, where detainees were being processed.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) denounced the raids and referred to the immigration authorities as “masked goons”.
“We call on our elected officials to uphold their commitment to all Angelenos – immigrants and non-immigrants alike – by taking all action necessary to grind this oppressive and vile paramilitary operation to a halt and keep our city safe and whole,” the statement read.
Senior White House aide, and Trump’s key anti-immigration proponent, Stephen Miller wrote on X on Saturday that the protests against the ICE raids were an “insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States”.
In a separate post, Miller said LA police chief Jim McDonnell was siding with “invaders over citizens” after he said his officers would not help ICE in any way.
The immigration crackdown is part of President Donald Trump’s pledge to deport a record number of people living in the country illegally, as the White House set a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3,000 immigrants a day.
LA Mayor Karen Bass strongly condemned the raids Friday: “These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. We will not stand for this”.
ICE acting Director Todd Lyons slammed Bass’s statement, claiming that the mayor had taken the side of “chaos and lawlessness over law enforcement”.
“Make no mistake, ICE will continue to enforce our nation’s immigration laws and arrest criminal illegal aliens,” Lyons said.
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