The councilor of Los Angeles, Eunisses Hernández, is asking the city to create clearer protocols with respect to its immigrant sanctuary laws after Los Angeles police officers were seen during an application operation in southern Los Angeles on Friday.
The videos that circulate on social networks showed federal agents with the US National Security Department and Immigration and Customs Control in an Apartment Building in the EAST 41st Street block 400, where the neighbors shouted and called them “dogs” – “dogs” in Spanish. The coalition for the rights of human immigrants, which directs a direct line to inform the raids, said it also received calls on several application actions throughout the county.
Yasmeen Pitts O'Kefe, an ICE spokeswoman, said there was a “continuous research on human smuggling.” She did not provide details of the operation, as how many people were arrested or how extended it was.
At least one resident, Jessica, 22, who refused to give her last name because she feared police reprisals, said she saw at least two people arrested. She said LAPD officers were helping the operation by blocking traffic in the neighborhood.
The Los Angeles Sanctuary Law prohibits the employees of the city and the property of the city from being used to “investigate, quote, arrest, retain, transfer or stop anyone” in order to application of immigration. But it makes an exception for investigations to apply the law in serious crimes.
In a statement on Friday night, the head of the Los Angeles Police Department, Jim McDonnell, said the officers were in Newton's division “helping with traffic control since national security tried to arrest a suspect wanted by human trafficking.”
“I want to be absolutely clear: LAPD does not participate in the application of the Civil Immigration Law,” he said. “This has been the policy of the department since 1979, and still unchanged today.”
LAPD CMDR. Alemán Hureate said that federal immigration officials requested help with the city's application operations in the city, but the department decreased due to its long data policy against such actions. The department cooperates with federal authorities in cases involving arrest orders for certain violent crimes.
After watching Tiktok's videos about the incident, Hernández presented a motion from the municipal council asking the city lawyer to describe “a clear guide and understanding about their responsibilities under the ordinance of the city's sanctuary city.”
“It is the responsibility of the City Council and other leaders of the city to reduce confusion and panic within our communities when these federal agencies are present, and be able to provide clarity on the rights of the components and resources available,” establishes the motion, which must go before the complete council for a vote.
In an emotional statement of his colleagues, Hernández said that some of Friday's application operations were taking place in his district.
“We have to put everything at stake to protect our families, protect our young people, protect Los Angeles and a significant part of the population of Los Angeles,” he said. “I ask you to prepare. My field offices are open to anyone who needs to obtain information about their rights. ”
A woman told Fox 11 that immigration agents had entered her home and took an 18 -year -old guest who, according to her, had no criminal record. In the house, a wall was damaged and a mattress overturned, according to images transmitted by the station.
The president of the Council, Marquece Harris-Dawson, who represents part of South la, said during the Friday meeting that the ICE agents were in their districts of Curren Price and the districts of Curren Price calling the doors, stopping cars and “making a series of things of questionable legality.”
“The neighbors were on the street helping the neighbors,” said Harris-Dawson. “People who did not know their rights, the neighbors told them their rights.”
Harris-Dawson said the ice agents were seen in an area delimited by Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in the North, Florence Avenue in the South, Avalon Boulevard in the East and Vermont Avenue in the West.
“People send us photos, people send us video,” he said. “I have some staff out there. We are receiving it fragments because there is no formal ad. “
Immigrant rights activists have been on the highest alert since President Trump assumed the position and promised “mass deportations.”
Ron Gochez, a member of the Community Self -Defense Coalition, a group of more than 60 organizations that has been patrolling the streets in search of immigration application actions, said he arrived at the South Central Apartment building around 7:45 am
“We got there, and there were many federal agents there. And that was not surprising, “he said.” But the surprising thing was that there were also several LAPD vehicles in the place right next to federal agents vehicles. ”
He climbed into the megaphone and began telling the people not to come out, not to talk to the ice agents and not sign anything. He avoided people in the apartments.
“They listened to me, and everyone looked at me,” he said. “I saw children.”
The motion will go to the Public Security Committee before it reaches the full council for consideration.
Times staff writer David Zahniser contributed to this report.
