A year after armed federal immigration agents descended on Los Angeles, the city is still grappling with the aftermath. Thousands of arrests last summer sparked mass protests and some deaths, leaving communities with lasting scars.
Community Still on Edge
In East Los Angeles, Brian Gavidia sees a semblance of normalcy—families celebrating, vendors lining the streets. But the memory of being pinned against a gate by agents, who refused to believe he was a U.S. citizen, haunts him. He flinches at white vans, fearing ICE again.
The raids brought a massive influx of ICE and border patrol agents, plus National Guard troops, to a city with the largest undocumented population in the U.S. Protests erupted, several immigrants died while fleeing, and lawyers scrambled to help detainees before they were transferred out of state. Mutual aid networks formed to support those too afraid to leave home.
Lasting Impact
Lorena, who stayed indoors for weeks, now sells tamales again. Yurien is haunted by seeing her father handcuffed and taken away. Noemi’s husband calls from Mexico, where he was deported. Elizabeth Brennan of the Warehouse Workers Resource Center describes it as "little missing teeth, everywhere."
Gavidia closed his used-car business after agents kept returning to his neighborhood. He couldn't have his daughter visit for safety. A federal court order halted indiscriminate raids in July, but the Supreme Court overturned it in September. The ACLU continues to challenge racial profiling.
Ongoing Fear
At a Home Depot in MacArthur Park, day laborers recall agents ambushing them in white vans. Frederico, a laborer from Guatemala, says, "Until the mandate of the president ends, we are going to be in danger." In the fashion district, Antonio’s fabric shop saw sales drop 85% after the raids.
Melissa Shepard of ImmDef notes that while roving patrols are less common, arrests continue—at check-ins, targeted raids, or even bystanders. An Amazon driver was detained after a delivery to a military base. Detention numbers have doubled since last June.
Detention Crisis
At Adelanto detention center, a hunger strike protested poor conditions. Bond amounts have skyrocketed, making release harder. Jennifer Gutierrez of Clue raised $1.5 million for bonds but has a long waiting list. The court system is backlogged, with only three bonds returned so far.
Rochelle Garza of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights held hearings on the terrorizing of communities. Gavidia testified, expressing belief in America and determination to fight for rights. He is restarting his used car business, saying, "We have to keep building."
