Riot police clash with protesters in Los Angeles after sweeping ICE raids
Riot police and anti-ICE protesters clashed in downtown Los Angeles Friday night, capping a tense day of sweeping federal immigration raids that saw dozens of people detained across the city and others forcibly taken from a New York courthouse.
The raids—conducted by masked, heavily armed US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents—marked a dramatic escalation in President Donald Trump’s renewed crackdown on undocumented immigrants since returning to office in January.
Federal agents swarmed at least three locations across Los Angeles, including a Home Depot in the Westlake District, a clothing store in the Fashion District, and a warehouse in South LA. At each site, officers reportedly arrested multiple individuals and loaded them into unmarked military-style vehicles.
Witnesses described aggressive tactics. In one instance, less than two miles from City Hall, agents deployed flash-bang grenades to break up crowds following ICE convoys. Protesters responded by hurling eggs and insults. Live video later showed helmeted LAPD officers lined up downtown, confronting demonstrators with batons, tear gas, and concussion rounds.
The Los Angeles Police Department did not participate in the raids, but was called in after demonstrations turned confrontational. LAPD spokesperson Drake Madison confirmed officers declared an unlawful assembly after protesters refused to disperse. Some demonstrators were seen throwing chunks of broken concrete at officers, prompting police to fire tear gas and pepper spray.
Meanwhile, hundreds gathered peacefully in front of a federal courthouse to call for the release of detainees. That protest too ended with police intervention and scattered clashes.
Among those caught up in the chaos was David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union of California. According to the union, Huerta was detained and injured while documenting one of the raids. "Hard-working people, and members of our family and our community, are being treated like criminals," Huerta said after his release. The extent of his injuries remains unclear.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass condemned the federal operation, calling it an attack on the city’s immigrant communities. “These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city,” Bass said in a statement.
Courthouse arrests in New York spark outrage
On the same day, plainclothes ICE agents arrested two men inside a New York courthouse, in a move that drew immediate backlash from court employees and immigrant advocates.
Court staff and human rights groups condemned the arrests as deliberate acts of intimidation.
