Violent Clash at Los Angeles Anti-ICE Protest Leaves Woman Injured
A demonstration against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) turned violent and bloody on Saturday evening when a protester was struck by a car in Downtown Los Angeles. The chaotic incident occurred around 9:30pm near a detention center, according to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
Chaotic Scene and Emergency Response
An unidentified woman was seen with blood dripping from her head as fellow protesters and a female Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officer surrounded her. Another image from the scene showed a male officer appearing to apply bandages and gauze to her head wound. The injured woman was transported to a hospital, though her current condition remains unknown.
The driver, who has not been publicly identified, remained at the scene following the collision and was later taken to a police station for questioning. Video footage posted to Instagram captured several federal agents standing in the middle of the street as demonstrators shouted, 'You're not helping!' A male official was heard yelling, 'If you give a sh** about your friend, you'll get out of the way,' before walking away from the scene.
Criticism of Law Enforcement Response
A social media user who shared the video commented critically on the response, stating, 'While they lay bleeding in the road, DHS police seemed unable to figure out whose job it was to render aid, who should be directing traffic, who should be on crowd control...' It remains unclear what exactly triggered the dangerous incident or whether any arrests were made. The Daily Mail has contacted both the Los Angeles Police Department and DHS for official comment.
Broader Context of Anti-ICE Demonstrations
This latest protest occurs amid continuing anti-ICE demonstrations across the United States, as the Trump administration maintains its crackdown on immigration enforcement. Tensions have been particularly heightened in Democratic-run states, which President Trump has vowed to address directly.
Minnesota has experienced a significant surge in both ICE agent presence and protests, some of which have tragically resulted in fatalities. On January 7, Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old American mother, was fatally shot during a protest in Minneapolis. Footage showed her driving her maroon Honda SUV near a demonstration before ICE agents asked her to exit the vehicle. When she drove away, she was shot in the face by ICE agent Jonathan Ross.
Just weeks later, another US citizen, Alex Pretti, was shot ten times by Border Patrol agents while protesting in Minneapolis. Pretti, an ICU nurse who had cared for wounded veterans, died from his injuries. Both deaths have sparked national outrage and prompted changes within Trump's immigration enforcement apparatus.
Administrative Shifts in Immigration Enforcement
US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, originally tasked with overseeing immigration control across the country, has been redirected by President Trump to focus specifically on border security. Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, another prominent figure in the crackdown, was also instructed to stand down and return to his former position in El Centro, California, where he is expected to retire soon.
Meanwhile, Trump has appointed Border Czar Thomas Homan to assume Noem's previous responsibilities. Last week, Homan took a swipe at Noem while announcing that the administration would withdraw 700 federal agents from Minnesota. He thanked Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey as he revealed a deal with Democratic leaders to deport illegal immigrants from local jails, which would reduce the need for federal agents to make arrests on the streets.
'Effective immediately, we will draw down 700 people, effective today, 700 law enforcement personnel,' Homan declared. This development follows Vice President JD Vance's denial in an exclusive Daily Mail interview that Trump was retreating from his mass deportation pledge. 'We're not moving back on anything. We're just trying to actually encourage cooperation so that we get a little bit less chaos,' Vance told the publication.
Operation Metro Surge has deployed 3,000 additional immigration officers to Minnesota, resulting in thousands of immigrant arrests but also the deaths of two Americans who confronted law enforcement officers during protests.
