US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents recently stepped up their immigration sweeps throughout Greater Los Angeles in accordance with new federal policies. In response, people took to the streets protesting the lack of due process and presumption of innocence afforded to those targeted by ICE.

President Trump had promised to arrest and deport undocumented migrants in their millions. In an attempt to increase the number of arrests, White House aide Stephen Miller told ICE officials at the end of May to “just go out there and arrest illegal aliens”, and to target regular businesses such as 7-Eleven convenience stores.

On Friday 6 June, ICE agents swept into the predominantly Latino neighbourhood of Westlake, making arrests at a number of businesses including a Home Depot store, and a car wash. They also targeted a clothing manufacturer in the garment district, where crowds gathered to try to stop ICE agents from detaining people.

During the day, the protests grew, demanding that the raids end. By the evening, the LAPD declared via an emergency alert sent to people’s phones that the protests in downtown were an “unlawful assembly”, meaning that those who failed to leave faced arrest.

The protests continued to expand and escalate. According to ABC News, “Throughout the night, protesters still assembled at the downtown federal complex were seen throwing fireworks, rocks, glass bottles and other objects at police, who responded by firing less-lethal projectiles and flash-bangs to disperse protesters.”

Police in riot gear have used batons, tear gas and flash-bang rounds against the crowds. More than 160 people have been arrested, mostly with charges of looting and failure to disperse.

Regardless, most of the protests have not been violent.

By Monday, the protests continued despite the order to disperse and military repression. On Tuesday 10 June, LA Mayor Karen Bass declared a curfew from 8pm to 6am in downtown to mitigate the unrest.

As ICE officers continue to conduct raids in LA and neighbouring towns, the community has decided to take a stand, by alerting citizens regarding ICE sightings. People have taken to social media to provide real-time updates. People Over Papers is one such site where people can report ICE sightings with specific photos and locations, with volunteers confirming the legitimacy.

As protests continue and have spread to other cities across California, ICE, the National Guard and the Marines still remain present in LA County.