Los Angeles—At the sprawling downtown Los Angeles No Kings rally last Saturday, about 50 US Marines—heavily armed and wearing combat fatigues—stood several rows deep guarding a federal building.

Protesters with homemade signs chanted, “Shame! We are not the enemy! We are the people!”

As the demonstration swelled, the troops stood stoic and unmoved.

Pundits have criticized Trump’s deployment of federal troops in Los Angeles as political theater, but it has had a cost for Angelenos—immigrant and non-immigrant alike.
 

Act 1: Cruelty and Chaos

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July/August 2025 Issue

On June 6, the LA Rapid Response Network—a coalition of organizations including the ACLU of Southern California, where I work—received reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agencies raiding a business in the Fashion District.

The rapid response network quickly mobilized and sent observers to the scene. That raid would be only one of many.

Every day since then, ICE agents have continued their cruel and chaotic operations across the region—abducting people including laborers at Home Depot parking lots, car wash workers, and street vendors. We’ve seen agents in full tactical gear, including body armor and assault rifles, detain people indiscriminately around businesses, schools, and churches.

One person we spoke to was pulled over by four unmarked vehicles after dropping off her special-needs 4-year-old at daycare. The agents dragged her out of her car and sent her to a detention center without a plan to care for her child.

In those first few days, ICE agents detained people in a basement at the LA Federal Courthouse, also known as B-18. The basement is intended for only short detentions, generally no more than 12 hours, but ICE trapped people there for days in inhumane conditions.

We spoke with people who were forced to sleep on floors without mattresses or blankets for at least four days and were fed the same meal every 14 hours. Many lacked access to menstrual supplies, clean clothes, toilet paper and medicine. Our attorneys demanded access to speak with those detained, but federal agents refused, holding them incommunicado.

ICE eventually transferred many of the people in its custody to the Adelanto Detention Center, a facility about 100 miles northeast of LA in the High Desert. That facility, which for years had lain practically dormant, has become quickly overcrowded, processing more than 800 people in the past week. People are being held there in cells for days while facing food and clothing shortages.

Our attorneys have visited Adelanto almost every day, demanding access to those detained. Last Thursday, after pressure by local congresspeople and facing the threat of lawsuits, officials finally granted us access. We spoke with many individuals who have resided in the United States for decades without criminal histories, and many are worried about their children. Because of the authorities’ ongoing attempts to impede legal access, it is impossible for us to determine the exact number of people improperly detained or how many people have been transferred to facilities in other states—or, worse, already removed from the country.

None of the acts described here are lawful.

Federal agents must have reasonable suspicion to stop a person—meaning they need a specific reason to believe the person is not lawfully in the United States. And to arrest someone, a federal agent needs probable cause—an even higher legal standard—plus either a warrant or the determination that someone is a flight risk. Lacking identification, being in a predominantly immigrant neighborhood, working in a car wash, or having brown skin are not valid reasons for ICE to stop a person, let alone arrest them.

Beyond the rampant legal violations, the raids have ravaged communities and torn families apart. Children have lost their parents, businesses their employees, and we have all lost neighbors and loved ones. Last week, hundreds of K-12 school graduations had security stationed outside ready to protect families from ICE agents. The trauma we are enduring is incalculable.

In response, however, Angelenos have remained resilient and united. Since June 6, residents across LA have mobilized daily actions in solidarity with immigrant families. We are holding vigils, organizing mutual aid and know-your-rights workshops. and expressing our anger and pride through art and dance.
 

Act 2: Excess and Violence

Almost immediately, the Trump administration used the protests as a pretext for calling in the National Guard, fabricating tensions to chill speech and suppress dissent. After calling in 4,000 members of the National Guard, the administration then added 700 Marines, none of whom are appropriately trained to manage crowds of protesters. Calling in federal troops to a US city raises serious constitutional and moral concerns. A federal judge has already ruled that the deployment is unlawful, and the lawsuit will continue on appeal.

And while protests have remained largely peaceful, we’ve seen not only excessive military deployment but also unnecessary escalation and violence from local authorities. Social media has been flooded with videos of officers shooting rubber bullets and tear gas directly at peaceful protesters and reporters, causing significant injuries. In one viral incident, horse-mounted police officers intentionally trampled a protester. In another, officers shot a woman point-blank with a rubber bullet for simply walking home at night.

It is ironic that our leaders from the White House to City Hall are calling for law and order, while their officers wreak havoc through excessive and unlawful force. In the days following the protests, more than 200 people reached out to the ACLU describing physical injuries and violations of their First and Fourth Amendment rights.

It is heartbreaking to see so much suffering in our community, caused by those who have sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution. Yet, among the pain, I also see hope. Leading the fight are immigrants, courageously advocating on behalf of their communities in the courts, the legislature, and the streets—including many ACLU lawyers and organizers like me. Years ago, I arrived in the United States on a student visa and eventually obtained a green card and became a naturalized citizen. Over the years, I fell in love with this city’s culture and people, and now proudly call LA home.

As communities across Southern California continue to show the world its love for its immigrant communities and its resilience in protesting Trump’s oppressive tactics, we will continue to be vigilant and do all we can to hold accountable those who are meant to protect and defend us.