Federal immigration agents reportedly arrested two people Friday evening in the midst of an anti-ICE protest near a Boyle Heights hospital, sparking additional action from immigrant community advocates and swift condemnation from city leaders, including Mayor-elect Nithya Raman.
“The Trump administration is not welcome not only in Los Angeles but across the country,” Raman said Saturday afternoon in Boyle Heights. “What happened last night at this hospital was an affront to the wishes of the American people and the people of Los Angeles.”
Raman, alongside city officials Ysabel Jurado and California State Senator María Elena Durazo, among others, spoke out strongly against federal immigration agents just hours after the latest violent brawl with Angelenos. Immigration agents took the two detainees into custody during a protest at White Memorial Adventist Hospital, Boyle Heights Beat reported Saturday.
Los Angeles Mayor-elect Nithya Raman speaks at an event at White Memorial Adventist Hospital on Saturday.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Neither the Department of Homeland Security nor the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed the detentions to the Times. An LAPD spokesperson confirmed that federal agents were present at the hospital while a person in their custody received medical treatment.
The representative said the LAPD received reports that “large groups had gathered at the hospital and were causing a disturbance.” Video from OnScene Media showed protesters confronted by a line of masked immigration agents appearing to block the entrance of an ambulance to the hospital.
Mayor Karen Bass on Saturday condemned the officers who “gathered in force,” writing on social media “that their presence was frightening at the worst possible time” for patients and their families.
“A hospital should be the only place where people feel safe,” Bass said on
In a video shared on social media by observer Michelle Rivera, officers can be seen cornering a person on the sidewalk at the intersection of Boyle Ave and Pennsylvania Ave, near the hospital. In the video, bystanders can be heard telling officers to let the inmate go. An officer, wearing a face covering and a vest emblazoned with “POLICE ICE,” told onlookers to move away from the scene, ordering them: “Do not hinder arrest.”
The person behind the camera accused immigration officials of arresting two people who are American citizens. An officer can be heard accusing the detainees of “interfering” with an arrest and informing onlookers: “We have criminal arrest power.” An officer can also be heard saying to a person off-camera: “Your brother assaulted a federal agent.
“He’s under arrest for assaulting a federal agent,” the officer continued in the video. “He’s coming with us.”
In Rivera’s video, the person behind the camera can be heard asking their followers to amplify the video and tag local immigrant advocacy groups.
According to OnScene Media, many protesters were pushed and pepper sprayed. The video shows a young woman on her knees, crying, while other people pour water on her face. Federal agents left the hospital shortly after a priest appeared at the scene of the protest, video shows.
Protesters were seen clashing with ICE agents at Adventist White Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles on Saturday morning.
(OnScene.tv)
The LAPD said it received a second call from hospital security around 2:24 a.m., alleging that approximately 30 protesters “had gathered at the hospital and entered the ambulance access area.” Police responded to “maintain public safety, preserve access to emergency medical services and maintain the peace,” the spokesperson said.
“At no time did LAPD officers participate in federal immigration enforcement activities, assist in immigration enforcement operations, or detain individuals on behalf of federal immigration authorities,” the spokesperson added. The LAPD also said officers “made contact with members of the group, who cooperated with officers and dispersed without further incident.”
Nick Samaniego, a spokesperson for Adventist Health Communications, confirmed in a statement to the Times that a person in federal immigration custody received treatment at the hospital. The statement said the hospital neither requested nor authorized federal agents to restrict ambulance entry.
“White Memorial does not participate in immigration enforcement,” the statement said. “We know last night scared our neighbors. No matter what happens outside our doors, everyone who comes in is our patient, and our focus will be solely on that patient, and that will not change.”
Protesters hold a pro-immigration banner during a demonstration at White Memorial Adventist Hospital on Saturday.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Community members returned Saturday afternoon for a protest near the hospital. At the event, hosted by the Boyle Heights Immigrant Rights Network, Sen. Durazo said federal agents had “no justification” for their actions late Friday night and early Saturday morning and that she expected “better protection of our community” from White Memorial.
“You also bear a responsibility,” she said at Saturday afternoon’s rally.
Councilwoman Jurado said in a statement Saturday that she was “deeply troubled” by reports of the incident at White Memorial and called on the hospital to “publicly disclose its agreements with ICE and terminate any voluntary medical services contracts with the agency.” She also called on hospital leaders to protect patients more.
Raman concluded his speech Saturday afternoon with a message to the residents of Boyle Heights: “You are not alone. This is your city, you belong here, and we will all fight together to ensure everyone is protected.”
Times photographer Genaro Molina contributed to this report.
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