Today, masked Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents conducted what appear to be immigration raids in Los Angeles. The specific nature of the operation is unclear. It’s also unclear how many people have been arrested or detained. Though details are few, multiple TikTok videos and live streams have shown the same thing: armed and masked CBP agents in at least one LA neighborhood. While disturbing, it’s no surprise. Trump has doubled down on the forced removal of immigrants at every turn. The president has even ordered the construction of a 30,000-bed detention camp in Guantanamo Bay. Here’s what we know about the CBP operations in Los Angeles.
CBP Conducts Raids in LA
Aggressive action by ICE and the CBP is nothing new, and today it seems the victim was LA. In a TikTok video by @sueltalalengua0, two CBP officers lean against a pair of vehicles in what appears to be a suburban neighborhood. Though masks and goggles hide their faces, their Customs and Border Patrol badges are on prominent display. Also on prominent display are their weapons, a not-so-subtle threat to those who would protest the government and its authoritarian crackdown.
Several such videos and live streams have appeared in the last day. Still, the actual scale of the raids is unclear. While Los Angeles locals spread the word of the CBP raids, those in the comment section searched for answers. “Does anyone know the family living there? Were they just taken for being undocumented?” one commenter asked. Another made several concerning claims about the developing story. According to them,
They were there since 6am and brought swat team fulled the whole street and threw flash bangs breaking doors and windows and put kids in handcuffs. [sic]
For decades, America’s police have been increasingly militarized. The War on Drugs carried smoothly into the War on Terror. That, in turn, fed Trump’s de facto war on immigrants. Armored vehicles, flashbangs, and military tactics aren’t new. With raids by masked CBP officers and police now on the rise, however, the importance of citizen reports and community action will only grow.
