The Los Angeles Police Department has declared a citywide tactical alert after a protest in downtown Los Angeles appeared to turn violent on Friday afternoon.
Videos circulating online show anti-ICE protesters clashing with federal agents outside the downtown LA federal detention center. Some demonstrators were seen throwing objects toward officers.
What is a citywide tactical alert?
A citywide tactical alert means all LAPD officers are required to remain on duty and are not permitted to go home at the end of their scheduled shifts. The measure is typically used during major emergencies or large-scale unrest.
{{/usCountry}}A citywide tactical alert means all LAPD officers are required to remain on duty and are not permitted to go home at the end of their scheduled shifts. The measure is typically used during major emergencies or large-scale unrest.
{{/usCountry}}"Due to violent agitators on Alameda between Temple and Aliso the City of Los Angeles has gone to TACTICAL ALERT," the LAPD Central Division said in a post on X.
"Federal Authorities are taking debris, bottles and other objects. Federal Authorities have declared an Unlawful Assembly at the Detention Center and they have deployed pepper balls and tear gas."
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ICE Out rally
Thousands of demonstrators flooded downtown Los Angeles on Friday as part of a nationwide day of action opposing federal immigration enforcement. The protest, organized under the national “ICE Out” movement, began outside City Hall and continued with a march into East Los Angeles.
Why are the anti-ICE protests taking place?
The anti‑ICE protests in Los Angeles and other cities across the United States are part of a nationwide wave of demonstrations against US. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and broader federal immigration enforcement policies.
The protests intensified after two US citizens, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, were fatally shot by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis earlier this year. Protesters are demanding an end to aggressive enforcement actions and greater oversight of ICE's operations.