National Guard deployed against ‘ICE out of LA’ protest
Thousands protested in Downtown Los Angeles against the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the National Guard.
By ADAM YOUNG
Approximately 100 members of the National Guard shot non-lethal rounds at and tear gassed protesters Sunday morning in front of the Metropolitan Detention Center in Downtown Los Angeles, pushing the protesters onto N. Alameda Street to make way for vehicles to enter into the detention center. The approximately 44 individuals detained by Immigration Customs Enforcement in the Los Angeles area Friday are held in the center.
The protest was a part of the “ICE Out of L.A.” protests that started Saturday after residents spotted ICE agents at a Home Depot in Paramount. President Donald Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard to quell the protest later that night.
There are no reported ICE protests in South Central.
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Before the National Guard forced protesters onto the streets at the detention center, soldiers were stationed in front of the loading dock of the detention center holding M4A1s standing beside large military vehicles.
Over 100 protesters standing at the sidewalk of the detention center chanted “No justice, no peace” and “ICE out, Trump out” at the guardsmen while passing cars honked in rhythm.
Thousands of people gathered in front of Los Angeles City Hall, just three miles from USC, to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement action in L.A. and the National Guard’s deployment. (Adam Young / Daily Trojan)
Later that afternoon, thousands of people gathered in front of L.A. City Hall, just three miles from USC, to protest ICE action in L.A. and the National Guard’s deployment. A protest organizer stood on a pick-up truck and spoke to the crowd.
“If [L.A. Mayor] Karen Bass can’t protect us, if the city council can’t protect us, if the Democratic Party can’t protect us, who’s going to protect us?” the speaker said. “The same people who want to slash Medicaid, who want to slash food stamps, who want to cut [diversity, equity and inclusion], who want to cut Social Security, cut education, cut public health, are the same ones siccing the National Guard on us today.”
In a statement on Sunday, Bass called the deployment of the National Guard a “chaotic escalation” and urged protesters to remain peaceful.
“What we’re seeing in our city is chaos provoked by the Trump Administration. When you raid Home Depots and workplaces, when you tear parents and children apart, and when you run armored caravans through our streets, you cause fear and panic,” Bass said in the statement. “Angelenos have the right to make their voices heard through peaceful protest.”
The march went through traffic but was cut short at Alameda St. by Los Angeles Police Department officers, just one block away from the Metropolitan Detention Center. (Adam Young / Daily Trojan)
After a few speeches and chanting, the protest moved onto Temple St. and headed toward the Metropolitan Detention Center. The march went through traffic but was cut short at Alameda St. by Los Angeles Police Department officers, just one block away from the detention center.
Some protesters paused around Temple St. and Alameda St., confronting police officers who were firing pellets and throwing flashbangs into the crowd. Moments later, an LAPD vehicle rushed through the crowd while officers inside the vehicle shot protesters with pepper balls.
Greg Tedesco, a protester who got shot by the LAPD vehicle officers while trying to block the vehicle, said he got bruised on his back.
“I feel like the real problem is ICE and the federal government and that the LAPD should be backing up the demonstrators, not ICE or the feds,” Tedesco said shortly after being shot with a pepperball.
In a statement on Sunday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the deployment of the National Guard a “chaotic escalation” by the Trump administration and urged protesters to remain peaceful. (Adam Young / Daily Trojan)
As police activity began to calm down at the intersection in the late afternoon, Haley, a protester who did not share her last name citing safety concerns, said she came out to protest again after attending a protest Friday. On the Friday protest, she recalled hearing people detained by ICE in the Edward R. Roybal Center banging on the windows.
“It’s horrible. There’s children, women, men. Who knows where they’re going to be,” Haley said. “Their families don’t know when they’ll be released. I think it’s insane.”
Patrick, another protester who did not share his last name due to safety concerns, came with Haley because he felt the Trump administration was violating the separation of powers and the right to due process. He said the protest was peaceful from what he had seen, despite news outlets like Fox News framing the protest as “riots.”
“There’s a lot of misinformation going on right now about these protests being violent in any way,” Patrick said. “But I’ve been out here all day, and I haven’t seen one iota of violence. I’ve seen a water bottle being thrown. I think that’s the most violent thing that I’ve seen.”
