LOS ANGELES — Federal immigration authorities raided three locations across the city on Friday, officials said, in “chaotic” action that drew immediate rebuke from local lawmakers and a distanced response from L.A. law enforcement.
“Today, ICE officers and agents alongside partner law enforcement agencies, executed four federal search warrants at three location in central Los Angeles,” a statement from Homeland Security Investigations said.
As federal agents — often wearing camouflage and bulletproof vests with their faces covered — burst into buildings, protesters and supporters soon showed up, creating tense scenes throughout the city.
Witnesses reported tear gas being employed at least one of the locations to clear a path for federal agents to take in their prisoners.
“Approximately 44 people” were administratively arrested and one person was arrested on an obstruction charge, the HSI statement said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom strongly denounced the raids.
“Continued chaotic federal sweeps, across California, to meet an arbitrary arrest quota are as reckless as they are cruel,” Newsom said in a statement. “Donald Trump’s chaos is eroding trust, tearing families apart, and undermining the workers and industries that power America’s economy.”
Among those arrested was SEIU California President David Huerta, who represents an estimated 750,000 service workers across the state. He was booked by federal law enforcement at the site of one of the raids, according to Bill Essayli, the L.A.-based U.S. attorney for the Central District of California.
“David Huerta deliberately obstructed their access by blocking their vehicle,” he said on X Friday night. “He was arrested for interfering with federal officers and will face arraignment in federal court on Monday.”
The labor union said Huerta was released from a hospital Friday afternoon after being transported for unknown reasons. He remained in custody early Friday evening, it said in a statement. The union said he was “exercising his First Amendment right to observe and document law enforcement activity” when he was taken into custody.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass visited Huerta in the hospital and spoke to NBC Los Angeles afterward.
“He is doing OK physically, but I know what really impacted him the most was the emotional trauma of watching parents and kids being separated,” she said.
Among the sites targeted by federal agents was clothing manufacturer, importer and wholesaler Ambiance Apparel in the city’s Fashion District, Essayli told NBC Los Angeles.
The agents served a search warrant and were looking for “fictitious employee documents,” Essayli said.
A representative for Ambiance Apparel could not be immediately reached for comment on Friday.
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., called the ICE action “a continuation of a disturbing pattern of extreme and cruel immigration enforcement.”
“These indiscriminate raids prove once again that the Trump administration cares about nothing but instilling harm and fear in our communities to drive immigrants into the shadows,” Padilla, a Los Angeles native and the son of Mexican immigrants, said in a statement.
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell and Sheriff Robert Luna were both quick to state that their personnel had no role in the federal action.
“Today the LAPD became aware that ICE was conducting operations in the City of Los Angeles,” McDonnell said in a statement. “I’m aware that these actions cause anxiety for many Angelenos, so I want to make it clear: the LAPD is not involved in civil immigration enforcement.”
Video posted to social media by the People’s City Council shows LAPD officers outside the Ambiance Apparel location. The department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Luna acknowledged that raids “have caused fear” but asked residents to “remain calm and peaceful as we continue to place your safety and well-being at the forefront of our efforts.”
On Friday afternoon, multiple immigrant rights groups rallied in downtown Los Angeles to express anger over the raids and Huerta’s arrest.
Outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, a federal lockup, federal agents stood guard amid shouting protesters and ultimately fired less-lethal rounds to clear the area in front of the structure, according to NBC Los Angeles video and imagery posted to social media verified by NBC News.
Yvonne Wheeler, president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, spoke onstage nearby earlier, decrying the raids as a swipe at working class L.A.
“Today was a dark day in Los Angeles,” she said. “This administration is cruel and inhumane.”
Protesters held up signs that said “Stop Deportations,” and some chanted, “Free David, free them all,” referring to Huerta and the arrested immigrants. A spokesperson for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles estimated 1,000 people had gathered following its call for supporters to join the group downtown.
LAPD officer Drake Madison said it was not yet known how many arrests, if any, had taken place as protesters marched to the complex that includes the detention center and the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building.
Los Angles City Council member Ysabel Jurado also took the temporary stage, decrying the raids’ timing during Pride Month and graduation season.
“It was a calculated attempt to take joy from our community,” she said. “I’m heartbroken. But I’m ready to fight.”
She was among the 11 of the city’s 15 council members who condemned the federal action.
“This indiscriminate targeting of children and families not only harms the individuals who are directly impacted, but destroys our communities’ sense of trust and safety in their own homes,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement.
“We condemn this in no uncertain terms: Los Angeles was built by immigrants and it thrives because of immigrants. We will not abide by fear tactics to support extreme political agendas that aim to stoke fear and spread discord in our city.”
Andrew Blankstein and Erick Mendoza reported from Los Angeles and David K. Li from New York City.
