LA has long been a city of immigrants. But now, the city's heart is pounding. LA is transforming into a city entangled in crackdowns, resistance, and clashes.
The Garment District is in a 'state of fear.' Thousands gather at a park near City Hall, condemning the federal government. Hundreds of protesters and LAPD in a 'powder keg' standoff.
Protests in LA against the Trump administration's intensified crackdown on undocumented immigrants escalated over three days, beginning on the 6th. On the 8th, the LAPD declared the entire downtown LA area a no-assembly zone. The Trump administration responded to the violent protests by deploying 300 National Guard troops to downtown to protect the Roybal Federal Building. On the 9th, an additional 700 active-duty Marines were sent to downtown to support federal agents. The Trump administration's undocumented immigrant crackdown operation continued on the 9th in the downtown Garment District and in south LA.
On the 6th, agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) raided for undocumented immigrants. An employee at one business stated, "I heard that federal agents visited Ambiance on the 6th and arrested several employees. I haven't heard anything else."
The aftershocks of the crackdown remained in various places. Customers inquiring about arrested employees, workers hesitant to go to work in fear, and business owners anxiously watching the clock, fearing "federal agents might raid again." The Garment District, once a bustling area of ordinary clothing businesses, has transformed into a desolate area after the Trump administration's undocumented immigrant crackdown operation.
At Gloria Molina Park, about two blocks west of the LA City Hall, which was marred by violent protests last weekend, thousands of citizens, immigrants, non-profit organization officials, and union members are gathered, holding a rally to condemn the Trump administration's anti-immigrant policies. This place is filled with the desperate cries of the immigrant community. Immigration rights advocates, university students, religious figures, and union leaders successively appeared on stage, criticizing, "The Trump administration, which tramples on human rights, has lost its legitimacy."
Hundreds of protesters, encompassing all races including White, Black, Latino, and Asian, are confronting heavily armed LAPD officers.
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