ICE Raids a Los Angeles Garment Factory and Home Depot Lot, Arresting More Than 40 and Setting Off Days of Protest

On June 6, 2025, federal immigration agents in tactical gear carried out worksite operations at multiple Los Angeles locations, including the Ambiance Apparel clothing manufacturer in the Fashion District and a Home Depot parking lot in Westlake where day laborers gather. More than 40 people were arrested. As word spread, relatives and bystanders gathered and some attempted to block vehicles carrying detainees; agents and local police responded with pepper spray and batons. Confrontations spread over the following days to Paramount and Compton, with at least 56 arrests over four days of unrest.

The raids marked a shift from the administration's stated focus on people with violent criminal records toward workplace sweeps of employed immigrants, carried out in a city with sanctuary policies and without advance coordination with local officials. They became the proximate trigger for the federal military deployment that followed: Trump federalized California National Guard units the next day and ordered Marines to Los Angeles on June 9.

California officials condemned the operations, and the state attorney general sued over the ensuing troop deployment. Enforcement operations in the Los Angeles area continued through the summer.