Acting ICE Director Addresses Los Angeles Protest Amid Nationwide Pushback
Source: Newsweek
Published Jun 07, 2025 at 5:02 PM EDT | Updated Jun 07, 2025 at 5:31 PM EDT
Acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons issued a statement on Saturday condemning the violence during protests in downtown Los Angeles that erupted during and after a series of federal immigration raids overnight.
Why It Matters
Since his inauguration in January, President Donald Trump has implemented sweeping change, mainly through executive orders, and has prioritized immigration control as a key pillar within the administration. Recently, the president utilized the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a wartime law that grants the commander-in-chief authority to detain or deport non-citizens. The implementation was originally blocked in federal court and sparked a contentious legal back-and-forth.
Trump also campaigned on the promise of mass deportations and appointed Tom Homan as his administration's border czar to execute his agenda. Meanwhile, the confrontations in Los Angeles, a sanctuary city, highlight escalating disputes between federal immigration authorities and city officials over enforcement tactics, community safety, and sanctuary policies.
Tensions ran high as ICE officers, carrying out an increased number of raids under federal policy, were met with anger and direct action from protesters and immigrant rights supporters. At least 44 people were arrested during the protests, during which officers used pepper spray and tear gas on the hundreds of protesters outside federal buildings, Reuters reported.
Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/acting-ice-director-addresses-los-angeles-protest-nationwide-pushback-2082380
= new reply since forum marked as read
It doesn't solve the problem but it is easier than solving problems
(press release from one of the LA City Council members) -
For Immediate Release: November 19, 2024
Today, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted to establish the City of Los Angeles as a “Sanctuary City” and prohibit any City resources, including property or personnel, from being utilized for any immigration enforcement. The approved ordinance, borne from a motion introduced by Councilmembers Nithya Raman, Eunisses Hernandez, and Hugo Soto-Martinez and adopted unanimously in 2023, comes on the heels of the election of Donald J. Trump, who has expressed broad support for mass deportations across the country.
The City of Los Angeles is home to more than 1.35 million immigrants, comprising over 34 percent of the city’s population. In fact, a majority of school children in the Los Angeles metro area, including both U.S. citizens and non-citizens, have at least one immigrant parent. While the City Council had previously passed a resolution declaring Los Angeles a “City of Sanctuary” in 2017, no sanctuary policies were codified into municipal law. The City’s current relationship with federal immigration agencies is shaped by an executive directive issued by former Mayor Eric Garcetti and internal LAPD policies. These policies are subject to change under future administrations and have yet to be enshrined as permanent protections for Los Angeles immigrants.
The newly adopted ordinance permanently enshrines sanctuary policies into municipal law and prohibits the use of City resources, including property and personnel, from being utilized for immigration enforcement or to cooperate with federal immigration agents engaged in immigration enforcement. Critically, the Ordinance also prohibits the direct and indirect sharing of data with federal immigration authorities – an important gap to close in our city’s protections for immigrants.
“I came to this country with my mother as an immigrant when I was six years old, arriving in the United States because we sought a better life, and I am so grateful for the opportunities this country has given me and my family,” said Councilmember Raman. “Immigrants make up the very fabric of Los Angeles and they deserve to feel safe and protected in the city they call home, no matter who is in power. Prohibiting the use of City resources for federal immigration enforcement shouldn’t depend only on executive actions that could be overturned by a future Mayor or Police Chief. This is common sense policy for LA.”
“I am who I am today because of immigrants—people like my parents, extended family, and the community who raised me,” said Councilmember Hernandez. “The same is true for Los Angeles, a city built on the dreams and labor of generations of immigrants. We will not allow hateful rhetoric or destructive policies to tear families apart or dim the light of their contributions. Today, we declare to the nation that Los Angeles thrives because of immigrants, and we are better because of their work and contributions.”
“More than one out of three people who live in Los Angeles, including my own parents, are immigrants. One in ten are undocumented,” said Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez. “We refuse to stand by and let Donald Trump deport our neighbors, family, friends, and coworkers.”
“Immigrants contribute vastly to the social and economic fabric of the City of Los Angeles and this nation,” said Alexandra Morales, Director of Organizing, Policy and Advocacy at the Central American Resource Center – Los Angeles (CARECEN-LA). “This Sanctuary motion acknowledges that we must continue to do everything possible to defend, protect and recognize immigrant Angelenos. Today, we stand as a united front with our partners to keep ICE out of LA and further strengthen our commitment to our immigrant communities.”
“We applaud the Councilmembers who voted today in support of a Sanctuary Ordinance that will defend immigrant Angelenos,” said Shiu-Ming Cheer, Deputy Director at the California Immigrant Policy Center. “With this important step, Los Angeles will no longer support the unjust and racist immigration detention and deportation system. Local resources should be put into supporting immigrant families, not tearing them apart.”
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Some cities like here in Philly, had/have policies that don't use the specific term but reiterate that immigration is a "federal" function and they will only act if given an actual "judicial warrant".
but Newsweek is far from OAN, Newsmax, and Breitbart. The CNNs, MSNBCs, ABCs, NBCs, and CBSes often spend a lot of their website real estate on "entertainment", "sports", and "lifestyle", where some of the, albeit right-leaning, "news" sites like Newsweek, The Hill, and Politico, do tend to stick more with "politics" and will include stories that only appear on the other sites days later (no longer qualifying as "LBN" ). 
