By Ricardo Lezama 
In Downtown Los Angeles, where some of the most casual political engagement exists (as opposed to East LA), a surprising number of community members rose up to push back against ICE incursions.
The issue started when recent immigrants showed up to immigration court in Downtown Los Angeles, not far from the Amtrak and Metrolink stations. Unsurprisingly, ICE decided to disrespect both the California laws around information sharing and the constitutional rights of community members. The individuals who showed up to a court date were arrested at these immigration hearings.
Worse still, community members realized that the arrestees were held in a basement overnight in a ode to Gestapo style tactics of disappearance. The entire ordeal was unsavory to average Californians.
https://youtube.com/shorts/bivAKHB6QEI?si=K1xCDOm9aUXsacpB
Gestapo Arrest Union Leaders
The protests were ignited by Stephen Millers orders to invade areas frequented by working Mexicans, and recent immigrants, in a series of aggressive ICE operations targeting workplaces across the city. This included Home Depot stores and clothing warehouses. The raids led to the detention of over 40 individuals, among them David Huerta, president of SEIU California, who was reportedly injured during his arrest while observing ICE activities . The federal agents’ use of unmarked vehicles and military-style tactics evoking comparisons to the Gestapo.
People Respond
While most media outlets have approached the issue with a seeming disregard for constitutional importance, the majority of Californians recognize the unlawful nature of persistent harassment against community members. Every individual is entitled to a fair trial, and whether they face state or federal charges (or none at all) their right to contest any governmental charges remains crucial. Unlike the established framework of criminal prosecution, Stephen Miller’s current campaign to economically devastate Mexicans lacks any legitimate legal foundation.