LAPD Denies Assisting ICE Amid Downtown Los Angeles Protest

Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers faced criticism and protests after video footage showed them holding back an agitated crowd during a federal ICE immigration raid in downtown Los Angeles, despite the city’s sanctuary status prohibiting local law enforcement from assisting federal immigration enforcement. The LAPD stated that officers were responding to a 911 call about a possible kidnapping, only to find an ICE operation in progress, and that their role was limited to crowd control without involvement in any arrests. Activist groups such as Unión del Barrio and the Community Self-Defense Coalition accused the LAPD of effectively protecting ICE agents and enabling detentions, fueling tensions within the Latino community and leading to demonstrations outside LAPD headquarters. LAPD officials emphasized they were not informed in advance about the ICE operation and maintained that their actions were intended to de-escalate a volatile situation caused by an unruly crowd. Despite these assurances, critics argue that the LAPD’s presence at the raid contradicts the city’s sanctuary policies, with some activists labeling the sanctuary city claim as misleading. The controversy highlights ongoing conflicts between local law enforcement roles and federal immigration enforcement efforts in sanctuary jurisdictions.