Protesters Clash with Los Angeles Police After 44 Arrested in ICE Raids | Photos & Videos

Protesters Clash with Los Angeles Police After 44 Arrested: After federal immigration authorities arrested more than 40 people Friday across Los Angeles, protesters gathered outside a federal detention center demanding their release before police in riot gear tossed tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers executed search warrants at multiple locations, including outside a clothing warehouse where a tense scene unfolded as a crowd tried to block agents from driving away.

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Sirens blared as protesters surrounded black SUVs and tactical vehicles. Officers threw flash bangs into the street to disperse people as they shouted and filmed the scene with their cell phones. One demonstrator tried to physically stop a vehicle from leaving.

Forty-four people were arrested on immigration violations across multiple locations, said Yasmeen Pitts O’Keefe, a spokesperson for Homeland Security Investigations. The president of SEIU California, a major labor union, was arrested and charged for impeding a federal agent while protesting, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.

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As news of the raids spread, protests erupted, with dozens of demonstrators gathering outside federal detention centers, demanding the release of those arrested. In one instance, video footage captured a chaotic scene outside a Home Depot parking lot, where federal agents escorted detainees to white vans, their hands tied behind their backs. Protesters shouted, "Set them free, let them stay!" as the situation escalated.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass condemned the raids, calling them a tactic to “sow terror” within immigrant communities. “As Mayor of a proud city of immigrants, who contribute to our city in so many ways, I am deeply angered by what has taken place,” she said. “These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city.”

Earlier this week, ICE Director Todd Lyons defended the raids, claiming that the agency is targeting "dangerous criminals" and that ICE is making an average of 1,600 arrests per day. “Our job is to remove individuals who are a threat to public safety,” Lyons said.

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