Protests turn violent in Los Angeles
Violent protests have erupted across Los Angeles after Donald Trump sent immigration agents to round up unauthorised migrants.
The US president deployed 2,000 National Guard troops to uphold "very strong law and order" in the city, prompting California Governor Gavin Newsom to call the move "illegal and immoral". Here are the key moments from the immigration raids and protests.
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Friday, 6 June
Protesters threw objects at agents and attempted to block federal officials from carrying out their arrests.
Officials in riot gear used flash bang grenades and pepper spray to subdue the crowd in response.
Officials in riot gear used flash bang grenades and pepper spray to subdue the crowd in response.
ICE agents also raided sites in the Westlake district and in Paramount, south of LA, where the population is more than 82% Hispanic, the BBC’s US partner CBS news reported.Later in the afternoon, protests centred around the Federal Building in downtown LA after it emerged that detainees were allegedly being held there.
Graffiti was sprayed on the building and objects were thrown at police, CBS reported, leading to an unlawful assembly declaration. ICE told CBS that 44 unauthorised immigrants were arrested in a single operation at a job site on Friday, with another 77 taken in in the greater Los Angeles area.
Among those arrested was US labour union leader David Huerta, president of the California branch of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), who officials said "deliberately obstructed" federal agents by blocking their vehicle – the union said Huerta was "peacefully observing" the operation.
Graffiti was sprayed on the building and objects were thrown at police, CBS reported, leading to an unlawful assembly declaration. ICE told CBS that 44 unauthorised immigrants were arrested in a single operation at a job site on Friday, with another 77 taken in in the greater Los Angeles area.
Among those arrested was US labour union leader David Huerta, president of the California branch of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), who officials said "deliberately obstructed" federal agents by blocking their vehicle – the union said Huerta was "peacefully observing" the operation.
Saturday, 7 JuneIn the morning, a hardware store in the predominantly Latino Paramount district, around 20 miles (32km) south of downtown LA, was the centre of immigration protests, sparked by rumours that day labourers here had been rounded up and arrested.
Many who live in the community told the BBC they saw immigration enforcement vehicles in the area, followed by reports of raids and arrests of day labourers at Home Depot, which the US Department of Homeland Security later called disinformation.Protests turned violent as rocks and Molotov cocktails were thrown, cars set ablaze and businesses looted. Authorities used pepper spray, rubber bullets and smoke bombs to subdue the crowd.ICE said on Saturday that “over 1,000 rioters surrounded and attacked a federal building”, and officers were “vastly outnumbered”.Responding to the protests, the LA Police Department said it made 29 arrests, almost all for failure to disperse, which is a misdemeanour, according to the BBC's media partner CBS News.Around 18:00 local time, President Trump used his authority to call in 2,000 members of the California National Guard, something typically decided by a state's governor.Sunday, 8 JuneJust before 07:00 local time, the first group of National Guard troops began arriving in the city, staging outside the downtown Metropolitan detention centre, where illegal immigrants are taken after being detained.The troops also guarded a gated business park across the street from the hardware store in Paramount, as well as other federal buildings in LA. They parked Humvees blocking the area and squared off with protesters hurling insults and waving Mexican flags and banners.By about 10:30, at least 300 members of the California National Guard were deployed to three spots in the Los Angeles area, while 500 Marines are in a "prepared to deploy" status at a base around 230km east of Los Angeles.
Many who live in the community told the BBC they saw immigration enforcement vehicles in the area, followed by reports of raids and arrests of day labourers at Home Depot, which the US Department of Homeland Security later called disinformation.Protests turned violent as rocks and Molotov cocktails were thrown, cars set ablaze and businesses looted. Authorities used pepper spray, rubber bullets and smoke bombs to subdue the crowd.ICE said on Saturday that “over 1,000 rioters surrounded and attacked a federal building”, and officers were “vastly outnumbered”.Responding to the protests, the LA Police Department said it made 29 arrests, almost all for failure to disperse, which is a misdemeanour, according to the BBC's media partner CBS News.
Around 18:00 local time, President Trump used his authority to call in 2,000 members of the California National Guard, something typically decided by a state's governor.
Sunday, 8 June
Just before 07:00 local time, the first group of National Guard troops began arriving in the city, staging outside the downtown Metropolitan detention centre, where illegal immigrants are taken after being detained.The troops also guarded a gated business park across the street from the hardware store in Paramount, as well as other federal buildings in LA. They parked Humvees blocking the area and squared off with protesters hurling insults and waving Mexican flags and banners.
By about 10:30, at least 300 members of the California National Guard were deployed to three spots in the Los Angeles area, while 500 Marines are in a "prepared to deploy" status at a base around 230km east of Los Angeles.
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