Catalyst California Stands With Immigrant Families Amid Trump Regime's Illegal Power Grab

LOS ANGELES, CA—Catalyst California stands with its neighbors in the wake of the Trump regime’s militarized immigration raids in Los Angeles. We will continue offering resources, comfort, and solidarity to those swept up in this lawless assault. As protests rise, we continue defending the rights and dignity of all Angelenos.

“Los Angeles was a peaceful city before this regime’s incursion and will become peaceful once Trump’s jackbooted army of terror leaves,” said John Kim, Catalyst California’s President and CEO. “We have a history of welcoming diverse people into our workplaces, our public spaces and our communities, and Trump’s illegal overreach will not stop that. This is an attack on the soul of our city, but we are stronger because we endure and stand together.”

During Friday’s raids, masked agents in armored vehicles from the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) tore apart families celebrating their children’s graduations, stole dedicated workers from small businesses in the flower and garment districts, fired tear gas at passers-by, and targeted community leaders who did nothing more than document and protest this illegal invasion of our communities.

Trump’s raids bully vulnerable people and terrorize communities while trampling the Constitution. Contrary to his claims that he is arresting criminals, the percentage of people without a criminal record in ICE detention has nearly tripled since he took office January:

Trump’s order activating 700 active-duty Marines to join 2,000 National Guard troops already on the ground, and his apparent activation of even more National Guard troops, is a gross escalation that sets the military against the American people.  There is nothing for them to do in Los Angeles other than provide a backdrop for the political theatre of the Trump regime, hiding the truth behind an unprecedented expansion of the President’s power. We reject this power grab.

As we continue to stand in solidarity as a community, we demand:

• The prompt release of the more than 200 people swept up in the raids and the protests that followed.
• The immediate removal of ICE, DHS, the National Guard, U.S. Marines, and all other militarized federal agents from our city.
• The reinstatement of respect for people’s rights to free speech and due process, including access to legal counsel and non-intervention with peaceful protests.
• An end to militarized immigration raids under the guise of security enforcement.

We will not permit anyone, even the President, to use federal power to punish Los Angeles for its values.