Immigration Enforcement Intensifies with Raids in Los Angeles and Courthouse Arrests in New York

Federal immigration authorities escalated enforcement actions on Friday, conducting widespread raids in Los Angeles and arresting two individuals inside a New York courthouse.In Los Angeles, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents executed operations across multiple locations, including hardware store parking lots and public spaces. The agents, some masked and armed, detained dozens of individuals identified as undocumented migrants. The enforcement led to confrontations between agents and protesters, with flash-bang grenades deployed to disperse crowds as demonstrators hurled eggs and insults.

Homeland Security Investigations officials said the operations were based on federal search warrants related to human smuggling networks. However, community leaders and advocacy groups have sharply criticised the tactics, asserting they instil fear and disrupt community stability. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass voices strong disapproval of the enforcement measures. 

"As the mayor of a proud city of immigrants, I am deeply angered by these actions," Bass said "These tactics sow terror in our communities and undermine the fundamental principles of safety."

The White House defended the actions, with Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller responding to Bass on social media, writing, "Federal law is supreme, and federal law will be enforced." 

He reiterates the administration's commitment to rigorous immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump. Service Employees International Union leader David Huerta, who was temporarily detained, condemned the enforcement actions following his release. 

As night fell, downtown Los Angeles became a focal point for protests demanding the release of those detained. Hundreds of demonstrators marched toward government buildings, prompting law enforcement to deploy riot police and issue dispersal orders. Simultaneously, in New York, ICE agents carried out arrests inside the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building, a key immigration courthouse. Plainclothes officers apprehended two men in a hallway immediately after their court hearings, ordering them to the ground and handcuffing them.

Witnesses, including immigration advocacy volunteers, expressed outrage, arguing that these actions erode trust in the judicial process and discourage immigrants from attending essential legal proceedings. Court employee Karen Ortiz, a protester outside the courthouse, deemed the arrests unlawful. 

"We need to sound the alarm and show the public how serious this is," Ortiz said. "Physically putting ourselves between ICE agents and the individuals they're targeting is one of the ways we can resist."

One of the detainees, Joaquin Rosario, a 34-year-old Dominican national, had registered upon entering the US a year prior and was attending his first immigration hearing. According to a relative, Rosario was unaware of any immediate threat of arrest and had not sought legal counsel before his court appearance. The second detainee, an Asian man, was accompanied by a volunteer from an immigrant advocacy organisation. During the arrests, volunteers protested but were unable to prevent the officers from taking custody.

President Trump, who recently returned to office, campaigned on promises to intensify immigration enforcement and has pursued aggressive policy changes. Shortly after reclaiming the presidency, his administration revoked regulations that limited ICE agents' access to designated "safe zones," including courthouses. This policy change has led to an increase in arrests within judicial buildings, sparking concern among legal experts and rights groups.

Advocacy organisations warn that fear of detention may lead many migrants to avoid legal proceedings, complicating their ability to establish legal residency.

Trump's policies are part of a broader effort to tighten border security and reduce unauthorised migration, measures that have ignited intense debate over the balance between national security and human rights. His administration defends its actions as necessary to curtail illegal immigration.