by Vanguard Staff
LOS ANGELES, CA — The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) and California lawmakers on Thursday condemned immigration raids in Los Angeles County and the appearance of armed Border Patrol agents at a separate political event they said was meant to intimidate state leaders.
CHIRLA said federal agents carried out raids August 14 in Little Tokyo and Monrovia as schools reopened across Los Angeles, arresting 11 people and causing the death of a man who was struck by an SUV on the 210 Freeway while fleeing.
“Today, once again, another human being, a fellow Angeleno who sought a better life in the United States, lost his life running away from federal agents conducting one more of their lawless, cruel immigration enforcement operations,” Angelica Salas, CHIRLA’s executive director, said in a statement. She said 10 other workers were arrested during the Monrovia raid, while in Little Tokyo, agents detained a man delivering berries, spreading “fear and confusion to a peaceful community of residents, working men and women, and students in nearby schools.”
Salas also pointed to other recent incidents. In July, a farmworker named Jaime died after being chased by agents at a cannabis farm on the Central Coast. In June, a man named Jesus lost his arm to a passing train while being pursued in La Mirada. “We must say it loud and clear lest we forget: immigrants are human beings and our lives matter,” she said.
State Sen. María Elena Durazo condemned the raids and described the actions of federal agents as intimidation. “What we witnessed today outside the Democracy Center in Little Tokyo was nothing short of political theater — a weaponization of federal law enforcement against the legislative process and against democracy itself,” Durazo said. She said Border Patrol agents showed up “with zip ties and military-style gear just feet away from elected officials exercising their constitutional duties,” calling the move “a brazen act of intimidation.”
Durazo said the Trump administration is using immigration enforcement “as a tool of political repression, targeting communities and silencing dissent.” She urged Congress and state leaders to denounce what she called “an abuse of federal power.”
Later the same day, masked and armed Border Patrol agents appeared at a press conference Gov. Gavin Newsom held with legislators in Los Angeles to discuss redistricting. The event was unrelated to immigration issues. Lawmakers said the agents’ presence was intended to intimidate the Trump administration’s political opposition.
State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, who is authoring SB 627, the No Secret Police Act, responded to the incident. “Today Governor Newsom, legislators, and community leaders held a press conference in Los Angeles to announce California’s redistricting process to counter the rigged redistricting process Trump and his cronies initiated in Texas. Trump’s Border Patrol thugs showed up with ski masks,” Wiener said.
“This situation — California leaders rallying for democracy and Trump’s secret police showing up to intimidate people — encapsulates exactly where our country is right now,” he continued. I’m proud of California for standing up for our democracy, and I look forward to voting for the redistricting plan next week.”
The Senator added, “In addition, I’m authoring legislation (Senate Bill 627) to ban this kind of extreme masking by law enforcement, including federal agents. I look forward to passing that bill and sending it to the Governor.”
