Downey residents react after immigration raids shake Hispanic-majority community near LA

Geoff Bennett:

Protests are continuing across the country, as are the immigration raids that have sparked the demonstrations, but with parts of Los Angeles under curfew, the city has been quieter for a second straight night. As many as 700 U.S. Marines could also be on the streets by this evening, joining thousands of National Guard troops.

Amna Nawaz:

Anger did boil over, meanwhile, in a dramatic confrontation today when a California senator was handcuffed while interrupting a press conference about ICE's conduct.

Special correspondent Marcia Biggs reports from Los Angeles.

Marcia Biggs:

Outside of Los Angeles last night, a community came together to relay a message.

Protesters:

No ICE! No ICE!

Marcia Biggs:

Keep ICE out of Downey, a majority Hispanic community where yesterday agents reportedly conducted at least three immigration raids.

Darren Avery, Protester:

My mom was a migrant. And I was crying with him on the way over here, like, how lucky we are to know that I can go to bed and not worry about it in the morning that I'm going to be taken away from my kids.

Woman:

This is Downey Memorial Christian Church, and we are not OK with you being on our property.

Marcia Biggs:

Reverend Tanya Lopez captured this video of one arrest, which spilled into her church's parking lot.

Rev. Tanya Lopez, Senior Pastor, Downey Memorial Christian Church:

They didn't allow him to identify himself. They just grabbed him.

Marcia Biggs:

We spoke with Lopez and Downey resident Paulina Alcala, who first spotted the confrontation.

Rev. Tanya Lopez:

I wanted him to hear me very clearly, do not sign anything, do not answer any questions. Who can I call? And that's when they decided to draw their weapon on me, because I was refusing to step back.

Paulina Alcala, Downey Resident:

All over social media, I have been seen people post, like, beware, there's ICE here, beware, there's ICE here, so I have just been driving around to see it for myself.

MAN:

And confronted several car wash employees.

Marcia Biggs:

In all, at least 330 immigrants have been detained by federal authorities in Southern California since last Friday.

Protester:

You should be ashamed, coming into our community!

Rev. Tanya Lopez:

Everybody is in shock. We never could have imagined that this would come literally to our doorsteps.

Marcia Biggs:

In downtown L.A., during the second night of a curfew, police arrested dozens of Protesters, and two officers were injured. Across the country, protests against immigration raids also continued from New York City to Seattle, to San Antonio, where hundreds marched in a largely peaceful demonstration.

In Spokane, Washington, police sent pepper balls and smoke grenades into the crowd to disperse Protesters, and the mayor instituted a curfew. Today, California officials were in federal court for a hearing in their lawsuit against the Trump administration over its decision to send National Guard troops and Marines to the state, despite the objection of Governor Gavin Newsom.

President Trump disparaged Protesters and took credit for things being more calm in L.A.

Donald Trump, President of the United States: These are bad people. If we didn't go, Los Angeles right now would be on fire. It would be a disaster. And we stopped it, and last night was very good. Nobody showed up. You know why they didn't show up? Because we were there.

Marcia Biggs:

And in an online post, Trump acknowledged that deportations have been hard on the hotel and agricultural industries, saying: "This is not good. We must protect our farmers. But get the criminals out of the USA. Changes are coming."

At a press conference today, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem doubled down on ICE's approach.

Kristi Noem, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary:

The Department of Homeland Security and the officers and the agencies and the departments and the military, people that are working on this operation, will continue to sustain and increase our operations in this city. We are not going away.

Marcia Biggs:

While Noem was speaking, she was interrupted by California Democratic Senator Alex Padilla. Padilla was forcibly removed, brought to the ground and handcuffed, but was eventually released.

Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA):

If this is how the Department of Homeland Security responds to a senator with a question, you can only imagine what they're doing to farmworkers, to cooks, to day laborers out in the Los Angeles community and throughout California and throughout the country.

Marcia Biggs:

Today, several Democratic governors testified before the House Oversight Committee about so-called sanctuary policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY):

Do you know who Raymond Rojas Basilio is?

Gov. Kathy Hocul (D-NY):

I just want to say this. These crimes are horrific.

(CROSSTALK)

Rep. Elise Stefanik:

Because of your sanctuary state policies.

Gov. Kathy Hocul:

In all of these cases, we would work with ICE to remove them.

Rep. Elise Stefanik:

You did not in this case. They are walking on the streets because of your policies and your executive order that you signed three times.

Now, Raymond Rojas Basilio, do you know who that is?

Gov. Kathy Hocul:

I'm telling you this.

Rep. Elise Stefanik:

You don't know who it is.

Gov. Kathy Hocul:

I will explain to you the policies of New York. We cooperate with — I know you're just trying to…

(Crosstalk)

Rep. Elise Stefanik:

You do not. You do not. Specifically, ICE was told not to detain this individual, and he burned a Woman alive on the New York subways in Kathy Hochul's New York.

Marcia Biggs:

Back in Los Angeles, advocates like Giovanni Garcia are on high alert.

Giovanni Garcia, Community Organizer:

When you're talking to someone and you I don't know where an ICE raid occurs, it's just it happens so quick that, when you least expect it, it's like, oh, it's like they already have you, you know?

Marcia Biggs:

This morning, he handed out cards informing people of their rights. But where he says there normally would be lots of people looking for work on selling things on the street, there are only a few.

Giovanni Garcia:

To me, people that are still out here even after what occurred yesterday, that just goes to show that even though they're fearful, they also need to make a living. These are people who have families that are waiting for them to eat dinner or what have you. And they're relying on whatever work they have for the day to make ends meet, that being food, rent.

Marcia Biggs:

Reina Chavez can't afford not to work. She's been in the U.S. since 1988 and says she has legal documents, but that doesn't make her any less fearful.

Reina Chavez, Street Vendor (through translator):

We're all afraid because they don't respect us. They don't tell us anything or show us documents or say, I'm going to check you out. I'm going to see. No, they first put those things on us and then take us away.

Marcia Biggs:

As protests intensify across the country, so does the uncertainty in the communities bearing the brunt of this crackdown.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Marcia Biggs in Los Angeles.