Protesters and immigration agents clash in Paramount; Border Patrol says 'several' arrested
PARAMOUNT, Calif. (KABC) -- Protesters and federal agents clashed on the streets of Paramount on Saturday following reports of an ICE raid in the city.
However, Paramount's mayor Peggy Lemons said agents were staging in front of a Department of Homeland Security office, not conducting a raid.
"This is not something that city officials were aware of, that some type of raid might happen. It is my understanding that this was just a situation of staging and that it actually wasn't a raid," said Lemons. "The offices that they were at we have known about for some time but we've known them as the homeland security office that mainly dealt with the port authority."
The confrontation occurred near a Home Depot at 6400 Alondra Boulevard, just east of the 710 Freeway.
At one point, a car was set on fire in Compton where protesters began to gather. The fire department put the fire out. It was unclear how the fire started.
Some protesters blocked a street by turning over shopping carts and igniting a bonfire.
Border Patrol personnel in riot gear and gas masks stood guard outside an industrial park, deploying tear gas as protesters gathered on medians and across the street, some jeering at authorities while recording the events on smartphones.
At least one protester was injured. She was seen lying on a grassy area and bleeding from an apparent head wound as fellow demonstrators came to her aid.
"ICE out of Paramount. We see you for what you are," a woman announced through a megaphone. "You are not welcome here."
One hand-held sign said, "No Human Being is Illegal."
Video from AIR7 showed demonstrators attempting to block the path of a slow-moving bus that appeared to be operated by the U.S. Marshals Service.
In a statement on the social media platform X, Chief Michael W. Banks said "several" arrests were made "for assault on a federal agent.
"ANY attack on our agents or officers will not be tolerated," Banks wrote. "You will be arrested and federally prosecuted.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said its deputies responded to the scene but were not involved in any federal immigration enforcement and "responded solely for traffic and crowd control management.
"We remind the public to exercise their right to protest peacefully, with respect for the safety of all community members," a Sheriff's Department statement said. "Our primary responsibility is to ensure public safety for all individuals present-both demonstrators, residents, and bystanders-by addressing potential safety concerns while supporting the safe and lawful expression of First Amendment rights."
Saturday's incident in Paramount comes the day after federal immigration authorities arrested more than 40 people across Los Angeles, as protesters gathered Friday outside a federal detention center demanding their release before police in riot gear tossed tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd.
ICE officers executed search warrants at multiple locations, including outside a clothing warehouse where a tense scene unfolded as a crowd tried to block agents from driving away. Sirens blared as protesters surrounded black SUVs and tactical vehicles. Officers threw flash bangs into the street to disperse people as they shouted and filmed the scene with their cell phones. One demonstrator tried to physically stop a vehicle from leaving.
Forty-four people were arrested on immigration violations across multiple locations, said Yasmeen Pitts O'Keefe, a spokesperson for Homeland Security Investigations. The president of SEIU California, a major labor union, was arrested and charged for impeding a federal agent while protesting, the U.S. Attorney's office said.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the activity was meant to "sow terror" in the nation's second-largest city.
Federal immigration authorities have been ramping up arrests across the country to fulfill President Donald Trump's promise of mass deportations. Todd Lyons, the head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, defended his tactics earlier this week against criticism that authorities are being too heavy-handed. He has said ICE is averaging about 1,600 arrests per day and that the agency has arrested "dangerous criminals."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
