Exclusive: a Filmmaker, a Photojournalist, and a Former Agent Chime In on ICE Raids and the LA Protests
All shared common concerns about federal law enforcement's overreach that are now beginning to be raised in Washington, D.C., political circles
The recent escalation against civilians under the guise of immigration related actions by the Trump administration has made many headlines over the last week. While legacy media is focused on the protesters, even spreading misinformation on occasion, the White House’s unilateral action to create unrest by force, using myriad federal agencies to support Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, is where the attention should be.
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Protesters don’t just show up on the street. They respond. That’s the nature of a protest. The Trump administration knows this, as everyone does, and it weaponized it in the same way racist members of law enforcement agencies did in the past. It’s a tactic that has sparked unrest on many occasions throughout history and is a huge part of civil rights history. From the Haymarket Riots in 1889 to the Stonewall Riots in 1969 and many other infamous “riots,” police have used violence to provoke more unrest than any other group in U.S. history.
And we’re not even talking about federal agencies infiltrating Civil Rights groups or Border Patrol agents training to disperse anti-Trump protests and their increasing powers over civilians. When you watch National Guard soldiers in riot gear firing tear gas and less lethal projectiles at protesters outside the ICE Detention Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, it becomes clear that the U.S. doesn’t need Border Patrol’s help, nor does the agency belong quelling protests.
(Video courtesy of Francisco Lozano)
The Aggressor
The White House has escalated the current unrest to a level not seen since the Kent State Massacre in 1979, and appears willing to go further. Protesters on the ground have voiced their concerns not just with the immigration aspect of it all, but also the government’s overreach and blurring of federal and state law enforcement powers alongside the growing surveillance state. The ever-growing federal powers over civilians, citizen or not, are nonpartisan issues.
As the country continues to voice its displeasure with the Trump administration's actions in Los Angeles, there seems to be a larger and broader movement growing that’s ready to push back on the White House’s efforts to “have troops everywhere,” as Trump proclaimed on Sunday. It’s an idea the vast majority of people balk at, including Trumpers. Because the expansion of the police state is happening before our eyes and being live-streamed for everyone to witness, the consensus against government overreach is growing.
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The Filmmaker
Activists on the ground largely agree with the sentiment. Listening to interviews and reading their remarks explains precisely what the issues are. While the inhumane ICE raids are at the top of nearly everyone’s list, government overreach is a common refrain among many, not just activists or protesters. The consensus is that people don’t want militarized police on their streets and don’t want to be surveilled everywhere they go.
“I’ve been to many protests in Los Angeles, but this week has been like nothing I’ve ever seen,” documentary filmmaker Vishal P. Singh said. “Los Angeles protesters have spent days engaging in community self-defense against local, state, and federal law enforcement following the mass deportation raids that have terrorized immigrant communities across our city,” Singh continued. “Every day, we face tear gas, riot munitions, and beatings by law enforcement. And now the National Guard is even here: attacking protesters at the Federal Building, with the Marines arriving soon too.
“It feels like we in Los Angeles are a Petri dish for Trump’s police state fantasies,” Singh said. “I come from an immigrant family, so I am under no illusions as to what’s happening: this is a racist, xenophobic mission rooted in furthering white supremacy and the prison industrial complex. Black and Brown families are getting torn apart while the private prison industry rakes in record profits,” Singh continued. “But President Trump, Governor Newsom, and Mayor Bass have overplayed their hand. They underestimated the spirit and resilience of Los Angeles and our commitment to this rebellion against anti-immigrant state violence.”
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The Photojournalist
Photojournalist Francisco Lozano, who provided the iconic photography for this article, recently published an article at Hispanic L.A. showcasing pictures and video of what it was like on the ground. He also shares some of the same concerns as Singh: the growing federal law enforcement authority and the recruitment of local and state police enable and empower ICE to do what we’re all seeing on our screens all over the world with little to no accountability.
“The communities in LA and other parts of California have responded to the unfairness of the Trump government doing raids on people who are working when he said he was going to target criminals, or terrorists, or whatever he wants to call them,” photojournalist Francisco Lozano said. They’ve been raiding places of work, Home Depots, arresting day laborers, and families that show up to immigration court, so the people have defended their communities,” Lozano continued. It’s not just Latinos; people in general are enraged.
“This move by President Trump to send in the National Guard, and he just deployed another two thousand today, or said that he would, he’s just antagonizing Angelinos, antagonizing California Governor Newsom, and the Los Angeles Mayor,” Lozano said. “He doesn't like sanctuary cities and states that don't vote for him, and this is his way of antagonizing them
“This show of force only creates more mayhem and provokes people. There are a handful of people who have caused property damage and vandalism, but the majority of the protest has been peaceful,” Lozano continued. “When I was outside the ICE detention center on Sunday, there were about 80 people who were protesting peacefully. All of a sudden, the National Guard moved in wearing riot gear and tried to disperse them by firing tear gas and less lethal weapons at the crowd,” Lozano said. “It later showed that they wanted to clear the street for ICE vehicles that were escorted by military vehicles to come into the compound.
“They did all that just to clear the street for them to drive in. It was a provocation,” Lozano continued. “The force was not needed, and it came from the National Guard and Homeland Security officers. They are trying to antagonize the city and state to make it look like the city is on fire, which is not true; it’s only happening in a small area of downtown Los Angeles.”
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The Former Agent
The growing discontent around arresting and detaining everyone in proximity to a migrant they are taking into custody has resulted in the violation of many civil liberties and human rights abuses during arrests, the ensuing processing, and detention. Countless stories of abuse have been reported, and with detention centers across the country over capacity, the problem will only get worse. Agents on the streets, their leadership, and even most lawmakers don’t seem concerned with any of it. This leaves the country in a precarious position.
“Immigration agencies are now a national police force. We are seeing ICE, CBP, and Border Patrol dictate what all other law enforcement agencies are doing right now, including the military,” former senior Border Patrol agent and author Jenn Budd said. “This means the 3 immigration enforcement agencies are now a national police force, and I will go so far as to say a secret national police force because of the masking. They are using our local and state cops against us. They are taking orders from the national police (ICE, CBP, and Border Patrol). This is also highly choreographed with right-wing media for maximum propaganda value,” continued Budd.
The Propaganda
Meanwhile, in a Tuesday press release, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) wanted to “set the record straight” about the protests in LA. The administration didn’t take any responsibility for escalating the situation, as expected, and of course blamed Democrats while referring to the mostly peaceful protesters as “rioters.”
“While the mainstream media and far-left politicians have lied point-blank to Americans that these riots in Los Angeles have not been violent, the American people can see with their own eyes the truth,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. “Rioters are throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at law enforcement, defacing public property, setting cars on fire, defacing buildings, assaulting law enforcement, and burning American flags. The violent targeting of law enforcement in Los Angeles by lawless rioters is despicable, and Democrat politicians must call for it to end.”
The statement reads like the constant propaganda coming from the White House that villainizes swaths of people for the actions of a few. The idea seems to be to manufacture consent (the art of manipulating the public into agreeing to escalations) so the federal authorities can begin exercising deadly force against protesters. Meanwhile, Trump can employ the military to invoke fear among the rest of the populace; to bring us to the brink of martial law without declaring it.
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When asked about potential protests in other cities or at the military parade in Washington, DC, Trump said they would be met with “very big force” as he fantasized about using the military against civilians exercising their rights. He didn’t say rioters will be met with big force; he said, protesters, despite protests being inevitable in a society that respects free speech.
The White House does not represent that society.
Arturo is an independent journalist whose work can be found at Unicorn Riot, The Antagonist Magazine, Latino Rebels, and more. Arturo is also on TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, and Threads. To support his work, become a paid subscriber or donate via Venmo, PayPal, or Cash App.