Immigrant-rights groups tell Los Angeles City Council raids are terrorizing communities; urge emergency aid and legal support

Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), told the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday that federal immigration enforcement actions have become a “dragnet” across the region and are violating residents’ constitutional rights.

“There is an indiscriminate dragnet unleashed by the federal government upon immigrant Latino communities in Los Angeles, and it is violating individual veil and constitutional rights irrespective of immigration status and endangering public safety,” Salas said at a packed council hearing where community groups, council members and legal advocates described weeks of raids and arrests.

The presentation drew sustained testimony from immigrant legal advocates, who documented large numbers of enforcement actions and urged the council to take immediate steps to protect families and small businesses. The council approved related motions calling for a city response and for policy measures to protect residents.

Why it matters: advocates said the raids are deterring people from working, schooling and accessing services; they asked the city to expand legal representation, provide emergency assistance for families and small businesses, and press LAPD to uphold constitutional protections when federal agents operate in the city.

CHIRLA, the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN) and the ACLU of Southern California said their networks have documented hundreds of incidents since June. Salas said CHIRLA’s Los Angeles rapid-response network includes “over 30 organizations and labor unions and more than a 300 volunteers,” and that the network’s hotline recorded 1,916 sightings of immigration agents and 667 witnessed operations. She said DHS records show more than 4,200 people detained in the period the groups tracked. “The incessant immigration enforcement actions throughout Los Angeles County increase the tension, they terrorize communities,” Salas said.

Martha Revolu, executive director of CARECEN, described repeated raids on day-labor sites and “Trojan horse” operations she said involved heavily armed agents: “This is unacceptable. We are living a nightmare where Angelenos are racially profiled, illegally taken by federal authorities, and inhumanely treated in detention.” Revolu said workers who were detained have been held in “inhumane conditions,” some apparently deported without full process and others still missing.

Andrés Kwon, an ACLU SoCal attorney, summarized the groups’ litigation and the court orders that followed. He described the July 11 temporary restraining order issued in Pedro Vasquez Partamo v. Nome (as referenced in testimony) and the allegations the court addressed. “The stop and arrest TRO prohibits federal agents from relying solely on four factors alone or in combination as a basis for reasonable suspicion,” Kwon said, listing race or ethnicity, speaking a language or accent, presence in a particular location (for example, a bus stop or worksite), and the work the person does.

The legal teams said the TRO led to a sharp drop in arrests but that activity resumed after federal appeals. Kwon said the plaintiffs have moved for a preliminary injunction and a broad hearing on those motions is scheduled for Sept. 24; the groups have also requested that the government allow regular legal visitation and confidential attorney calls for detainees at facility B18.

Advocacy requests and council response: advocates asked the council to declare a local state of emergency, significantly expand funding for Represent LA (the city program that helps detained immigrants find counsel), provide direct financial and food assistance to families, enact eviction protections and accelerate tenant-safety measures to prevent people from falling into homelessness. They also asked the LAPD to require its officers to confirm that federal agents identify themselves, to prioritize protecting residents’ constitutional rights, and to avoid assisting in operations that shield federal agents or that help them isolate detainees from counsel and family.

Council members from multiple districts thanked the witnesses and said they would back motions to strengthen protections. Councilmember Tim McOsker and Councilmember Eunice Hernandez praised rapid-response volunteers and legal teams; Councilmember Nithya Raman, among others, emphasized the need for a citywide strategy that “defend[s] the rights and dignity of every Angeleno.” The council later approved a package of items (item 31 and related measures) intended to reinforce city policies and request additional actions by city departments.

What the record shows and what it does not: witnesses described a pattern of roundups at Home Depot and other worksite parking lots, rapid, armed operations without obvious warrants, the use of unmarked vehicles and agents refusing to show identification. They said many arrests did not include warrants and that victims have included lawful permanent residents. The groups reported collecting more than 200 names of family members in detention and said the federal responses have included “excessive use of force” in some instances; they also said two deaths occurred in connection with broader enforcement activity outside Los Angeles County in Ventura County and Monrovia.

Council action and next steps: the council approved motions on immigration enforcement and police response (item 31 and companion items 28 and 30 were recorded as passed during the meeting; see Actions). Those measures direct staff to pursue policy, outreach and budgetary steps; they do not themselves appropriate specific emergency funding at this hearing. Several council members said they would press for additional resources in the budget process and asked city departments to return with implementation plans.

Closing: advocates said legal filings will continue in federal courts while the city explores administrative and budget options. “We need continued bold leadership. We need resources and funding to make sure that we can continue to respond to this emergency,” CARECEN’s Revolu told the council. Council members agreed to remain engaged and said they would pursue both immediate assistance to families and longer-term protections.

Votes at a glance (related items): item 31 (motion to reaffirm city stance, request policy steps and coordination) — recorded vote: 13 ayes, approved; items 28 and 30 (resolutions supporting state legislation on policing/transparency requested by speakers) — recorded: 13 ayes, approved.

Ending note: advocates asked Angelenos to report sightings into the rapid-response lines and to avoid placing themselves in physical danger when documenting operations; legal teams asked witnesses to preserve video and contact rapid-response intake so attorneys can follow up.