Police detain migrants at Los Angeles churches

SPECIAL ENVOY TO LOS ANGELESImmigration agents have increased pressure on Los Angeles' undocumented community. Raids have intensified at workplaces, and arrests in the parking lots of Home Depot—where migrants gather every morning to find work—have become a daily occurrence in the city for almost a week now. Churches have now been added to the list. In Downey, a city where the majority of the population is Hispanic, ICE made arrests this Wednesday at two churches, where they arrested two people. "It was horrible. It was just a poor old man who hadn't done anything," Saja Shilleh, a neighbor who was standing on her balcony when she saw four ICE vans appear in front of the church, told ARA.

Five vans surrounded an elderly man riding a bicycle when four agents, their faces covered with ski masks, got out of the vehicle and knocked the man to the ground. "I've never seen what's been happening in the last few days. I can't believe what I've seen," says Shilleh. The 35-year-old is Palestinian-American and, although a U.S. citizen, explains how she and her family are avoiding certain places in the city in the wake of the ICE raids. "We try not to go to Hispanic restaurants or places we know might be susceptible to raids. The way they act is scary; if they see you're not white, they'll arrest you and that's it," she laments.

At 10 a.m., ICE raided Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church and then Downey Memorial Christian Church, a short drive away. At the latter, agents detained a man in the parking lot, as explained by Father Alfredo López in an emergency press conference shortly afterward. He, along with senior pastor Tanya Lopez and other members of the community, attempted to confront the agents. "I am deeply shaken," López said, her voice breaking. "When I am silent and have a moment to breathe, that's when it truly hits me what happened." The White House reported Wednesday that 330 undocumented immigrants have been detained in Los Angeles since the protests erupted on June 6.

Until Trump's arrival, churches and schools were two safe spaces for undocumented people, since arrests were not allowed. One of the first measures Donald Trump implemented upon his return to the presidency in January was to authorize raids both around and within these places. "Today, a friend of my brother missed the end of school because his parents are undocumented and fear ICE. This kid didn't do anything; he just came here with his family to have a better future," explains Gabriela García, a resident of San Gabriel, another city on the outskirts of Los Angeles.

Since Sunday, García has been attending the protests that fill the streets of downtown every afternoon. This Wednesday, she was back at the mobilization, which once again saw tense scenes with the Los Angeles police. In mid-afternoon, mounted officers charged the protesters as they approached the federal buildings and pushed people toward the adjacent streets. Aside from the rubber bullets and the horse action, the protest continued peacefully until 8 p.m., when the curfew imposed yesterday by Mayor Karen Bass began. After the hour, many people were still protesting, and the march continued toward the Home Depot on Wilshire without further incident.

The aggressive campaign against the migrant community and the militarization of Los Angeles in an attempt to quell the protests have had a contagion effect on other cities across the country. Protests have also occurred in San Antonio, Raleigh (North Carolina), Louis, New York, Seattle, Chicago, and Texas. In the case of Texas, Republican Governor Greg Abbott has announced that he will call in the National Guard to intervene.

Fear for Saturday

After the first night of curfew, the streets of downtown Los Angeles were filled with the sound of drills and hammers. Many businesses, like Il Coffee on Broadway Street, were rushing to board up their windows and doors. The coffee shop remains open, but instead of having a view of the street, customers are eating breakfast while staring at the wooden planks that cover the window. "A store here on the corner was looted Monday night. Twenty-three businesses have been vandalized. In my case, the fear isn't so much about what they might steal, but about how much it will cost to replace the entire window if they break it. Besides, my family and I live above the coffee shop," explains the owner. He isn't thrilled with the idea of having to live with a curfew, but believes it "is necessary to control the situation." Early Wednesday morning, the Los Angeles police reported in a statement that 200 people had been arrested for violating the curfew.

"What worries me is the demonstration on Saturday; hopefully they'll be able to control it and not repeat what happened last weekend," says Johnson. Demonstrations under the slogan "No Kings Day" have been called across the country to protest Trump's abuses at the helm of government: from the arrest of judges and defiance of the authority of the federal courts, to the aggressive campaign of detentions and deportations—without due process—of migrants. As if the militarization of Los Angeles and Trump's incendiary rhetoric weren't enough to fuel the protests, Washington, DC, will also see an unusual scene on Saturday: a military parade.

The official reason for the lines of soldiers marching through the capital is the 250th anniversary of the army, although Trump has arranged it to coincide with his 79th birthday. Protests against the parade have also been called in Washington, and the Republican has already warned that any protests during the day will be met "with force."