Local California law enforcement can’t help with ICE raids — so what can they do at protests?
Local California law enforcement can’t help with ICE raids — so what can they do at protests?
As federal immigration enforcement — and subsequent large-scale protests — continue across the Los Angeles region, just what the roles of local law enforcement officials are has come into question.
Local law enforcement officials aren’t part of federal immigration enforcement operations, as many agencies have been quick to note. State law, in fact, specifically prohibits local law enforcement from working with federal immigration enforcement operations in most instances.
But as massive protests have erupted in the wake of the federal government’s recent immigration operations in Southern California, that’s where local law enforcement comes into play.
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said Friday that his department “will not assist or participate in any sort of mass deportations nor … try to determine an individual’s immigration status.” But, he said, the LAPD will “have a visible presence in all our communities to ensure public safety.”
Their presence certainly was felt on Sunday, June 8, as a protest near the Metropolitan Detention Center, where members of California’s National Guard were seen staging earlier in the day, grew and spilled into downtown streets. Demonstrators eventually blocked traffic on the 101 freeway, and LAPD officers were seen responding there as well.
The LAPD declared an “unlawful assembly” downtown, a dispersal order was given and police warned that those who stayed in the area could be arrested.
A day earlier, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department deployed officers to a large protest that had erupted in Paramount, about a dozen miles south of where Sunday’s gathering began. The department said it used its resources, and deputies, “to maintain order” as “the situation escalated.”
As the situation escalated, the crowd of protesters became increasingly agitated, throwing objects and exhibiting violent behavior toward federal agents and deputy sheriffs. In response, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) requested additional resources countywide, deploying additional deputies to maintain order.
“We will protect your right to peacefully protest, but we will not tolerate violence or destruction of property,” said Sheriff Robert Luna. “I urge the community to approach the situation peacefully, as we do not want anyone to be harmed.”
Still, the Trump administration has been critical of the LAPD, in particular.
A Department of Homeland Security press release Saturday said it took the department “two hours to respond” to a protest near a federal enforcement building, alleging those demonstrators “assaulted ICE law enforcement officers, slashed tires (and) defaced buildings and taxpayer-funded property.”
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