Federal immigration officers reportedly detained two people late Friday evening amid an anti-ICE demonstration near a Boyle Heights hospital, sparking additional action by community immigrant advocates.
Immigration agents took the two detainees into custody during a demonstration at Adventist White Memorial Hospital, Boyle Heights Beat reported on Saturday. Neither the Department of Homeland Security nor the Los Angeles Police confirmed the detentions to The Times. A spokesperson for LAPD confirmed federal agents were present at the hospital while a person in their custody received medical treatment.
The rep said LAPD received reports that “large groups had assembled at the hospital and were causing a disturbance.”
In a video shared to social media by observer Michelle Rivera, officers can be seen pinning a person down to the sidewalk at the intersection of Boyle Ave and Pennsylvania Ave, near the hospital. In the video, bystanders can be heard telling agents to let the detainee go. One officer, wearing a face covering and a vest emblazoned with “POLICE ICE,” tells onlookers to back away from the scene, ordering them, “Do not impede with the arrest.”
The person behind the camera accused immigration officials of detaining two people who are U.S. citizens. An officer can be heard accusing the detainees of “interfering” with an arrest and informing onlookers, “We have criminal arrest authority.” An officer can also be heard telling a person off-camera, “Your brother assaulted a federal agent.”
“He’s being arrested for assaulting a federal agent,” the officer continued in the video. “He’s coming with us.”
In Rivera’s video, the person behind the camera can be heard asking followers to amplify the video and tag local immigrant advocacy groups.
According to OnScene Media, numerous protesters were pushed and pepper-sprayed. Video shows a young woman on her knees, crying, as other people pour water on her face. The federal agents departed the hospital shortly after a priest appeared at the scene of the protest, video shows.
LAPD said it received a second call from hospital security at around 2:24 a.m., alleging approximately 30 protesters “gathered at the hospital and breached the ambulance access area.” Police responded to “maintain public safety, preserve access to emergency medical services, and keep the peace,” the spokesperson said.
“At no point did LAPD officers participate in federal immigration enforcement activities, assist with immigration enforcement operations, or detain any individuals on behalf of federal immigration authorities,” the spokesperson added. LAPD also said officers “made contact with members of the group, who cooperated with officers and dispersed without further incident.”
Nick Samaniego, a spokesperson for Adventist Health Communications, confirmed in a statement to the Times that a person in federal immigration custody received care at the hospital. The statement noted that federal agents formed a line blocking the ambulance entrance — which was neither authorized nor requested by the hospital.
“White Memorial does not participate in immigration enforcement,” the statement said. “We know last night frightened our neighbors. No matter what happens outside our doors, everyone who comes inside is our patient, and our focus will only be on that patient, and it will not change.”
City Councilmember Ysabela Jurado said Saturday she is “deeply troubled” by reports of the incident at White Memorial and called on the hospital to “publicly disclose its agreements with ICE and end any voluntary medical-services contract with the agency” and called on hospital leaders to further protect patients.
“ICE continues to wreak havoc in our neighborhoods, separating families, disrupting livelihoods, and creating fear around the most basic parts of daily life,” Jurado said. “When that fear reaches the emergency room, it puts the health of our entire community at risk. A parent bringing in a sick child or a person experiencing a medical emergency should be focused on getting help.
The Boyle Heights Immigrant Rights Network, which notified followers of ICE presence around the hospital early Saturday morning, announced it will stage a demonstration against the “recent ICE kidnappings” near the hospital Saturday afternoon.
“Our families and neighbors deserve to live without fear. We keep each other safe,” the group announced on Instagram. L.A. Mayor-elect Nithya Raman is expected to attend.
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