LOS ANGELES — Riot police clashed with protesters in downtown Los Angeles on Friday night following a series of federal immigration raids that resulted in dozens of arrests across the city, sparking anger and unrest.
Helmeted officers from the Los Angeles Police Department deployed in riot gear formed lines along city streets as crowds of demonstrators refused to disperse after nightfall. Live footage from Reuters showed LAPD officers wielding batons and tear gas launchers confronting protesters in a tense standoff that escalated when individuals in the crowd began throwing chunks of concrete at police.
In response, officers deployed tear gas, pepper spray, and flash-bang grenades to break up the crowd. The LAPD declared the protest an unlawful assembly, according to spokesperson Drake Madison, making anyone who remained on the scene subject to arrest. As of late Friday, it was not immediately clear if any arrests had been made.
The unrest followed a day of aggressive U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity across multiple areas of the city. Unmarked vans and military-style vehicles carrying federal agents were seen moving through neighborhoods including the Westlake District, South Los Angeles, and the Fashion District, where ICE agents reportedly detained dozens of individuals, according to City News Service (CNS) and local media outlets.
Targets of the enforcement included locations such as a Home Depot, an apparel store, and a clothing warehouse. These raids are the latest in a wave of immigration sweeps being carried out in major U.S. cities as part of President Donald Trump’s ongoing crackdown on undocumented immigration. Trump has pledged record levels of arrests and deportations.
The LAPD was not involved in the ICE operations but was called in to manage the demonstrations that followed. Protesters gathered outside a federal courthouse, where they spray-painted anti-ICE slogans and also massed near a detention facility where some of those apprehended were believed to be held.
Spontaneous protests also broke out earlier in the day at some raid locations. David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) of California, was reportedly injured and detained by ICE agents while observing the operations, according to an SEIU statement. The union said Huerta was exercising his First Amendment right to observe law enforcement activity. No further details were provided regarding the extent of his injuries or whether he faces charges.
ICE did not respond to media inquiries about the raids or Huerta’s detention.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass condemned the immigration actions in a statement Friday night, saying, “These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city.”
The events mark one of the most intense public confrontations yet in Los Angeles as the federal government escalates its immigration enforcement under Trump’s directive.
