LOS ANGELES — Arrests were made Saturday during demonstrations outside the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles on the one-year anniversary of the start of immigration raids in the city.
The Los Angeles Police Department reported at 1:36 p.m. Saturday that motorists should use caution in the area of Alameda Street between Temple and Aliso streets because demonstrators were blocking at least one lane of traffic and crossing the road between moving vehicles.
The LAPD then reported at 3:57 p.m. that federal authorities were making arrests in the area and that demonstrators were blocking southbound traffic causing a hazard. It was unclear how many arrests were made.
The protest came after an event marking one year since a series of immigration raids began in Los Angeles. Mayor Karen Bass attended with leaders of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA). The arrests were unrelated to the event.
“We will always protect our neighbors, and we continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with immigrant families in L.A. and everywhere,” said Bass. “So much of our city’s strength is because of hardworking immigrants — and when the federal government and ICE test our strength, we rise stronger every time.”
The gathering “brought together families directly impacted by immigration enforcement, community advocates and civic leaders to reflect onthe human consequences of the raids and honor the resilience of immigrant communities across the region,” according to a press release.
“A year after the cruel immigration surge that shook all Angelenos, our message is clear: Fear did not defeat us, cruelty did not divide us and militarization did not silence us,” said CHIRLA Executive Director Angelica Salas. “We remember, we resist, and we recommit ourselves to the struggle for justice, dignity and the humanity of every Angeleno.”
City News Service sought comment from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which responded by stating, “While Mayor Karen Bass continues to release pedophiles, rapists, gang members and murderers onto the streets, our brave law enforcement will continue to risk their lives to arrest these heinous criminals and make Los Angeles safe again.” The statement included a list of five suspects with criminal records whom the department stated were arrested in Los Angeles.