U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were carrying out a series of immigration sweeps across Southern California on Friday morning, sparking fear and anxiety among immigrant communities.
At least one video posted on X show federal agents running after people in the parking lot of the Home Depot in Westlake, not far from downtown Los Angeles. A man recording the video can be heard warning people in Spanish that immigration officials were at the location and to stay away.
Los Angeles Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, whose district includes Westlake, said in a written statement that her office has received reports about immigration enforcement operations taking place in her district and other parts of Los Angeles.
“These actions are escalating: agents arrive without warning and leave quickly, aware that our communities mobilize fast,” she said. “I urge Angelenos to stay alert.”
The raids are the latest in a string of high-profile immigration enforcement actions over the last week, part of President Trump’s promised deportation crackdown. A few days ago, immigration agents raided a popular San Diego restaurant and made arrests, sparking a standoff with outraged residents. Agents also arrested Chinese and Taiwanese nationals at an underground nightclub in the Los Angeles area.
Yasmeen Pitts O’Keefe, a spokesperson for Homeland Security Investigations, a branch of ICE, said federal agents in downtown Los Angeles were executing search warrants related to the harboring of people illegally in the country. No other details were provided, and it wasn’t known how many operations were taking place.
Another video posted on Instagram shows six federal agents walking near the intersection of Towne Avenue and 10th Street in the Fashion District.
Ron Gochez, a member of Unión del Barrio, an independent political organization advocating for immigrant rights and social justice, said his group has been “flooded” with calls about immigration sweeps taking place in Los Angeles and Orange counties.
“There were ICE agents at a Home Depot in Cypress, there’s ICE agents at Wilshire Boulevard and Union Avenue, a construction site in North Hollywood and in South L.A.,” he said in a phone interview. “They’re everywhere.”
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information is made available.
