Trump directs ICE to expand deportations in Democratic-run cities, including Los Angeles

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Last updated: Tuesday, June 17, 2025 5:54AM GMT
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LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- President Trump is calling for even more expanded deportation operations in several major cities across the country, including Los Angeles.

Trump in a social media posting called on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials "to do all in their power to achieve the very important goal of delivering the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History."

The moves comes after large protests erupted in L.A. and other major cities against the Trump administration's immigration policies.

So far, it's not known how exactly that will impact L.A. But Sunday, at the president's directions, the Department of Homeland Security said it would pause most raids on farms, restaurants and hotels.

The Trump administration has continued widespread immigration enforcement activities -- with a reported goal of up to 3,000 deportations per day.

The Los Angeles Police Department has arrested 575 people related to protest activity since they started earlier this month, police said Sunday, including 14 for looting.

Last week, President Donald Trump deployed 4,000 California National Guard troops and 700 Marines to tamp down the disruptive demonstrations while the immigration raids continue.

A federal court hearing is set for Tuesday to determine whether Trump or California Gov. Gavin Newsom will control future National Guard activity going forward. Newsom challenged Trump's decision to federalize the Guard, an action U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco said in a ruling last week did not follow congressionally mandated procedure.

His ruling was stayed by a three-judge appellate panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in response to a Trump administration notice of appeal, temporarily keeping the National Guard troops under federal control, at least through Tuesday.

City News Service contributed to this report.

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Jun 09, 2025, 11:57 PM GMT

Los Angeles student in tears over fear of losing family to ICE

With many graduations planned over the next few days, SoCal students still fear immigration activity at schools.

Eyewitness News spotted a handful of students who said they are staging a walkout at Edward R. Roybal Learning Center in downtown L.A. These students were on a mission to protect the people they love.

"I have family members that are not documented," one student said. "It's scary thinking about, oh I'm going to go home and maybe they are not going to be there."

The student got emotional, terrified of losing those she loves dearly.

"It's just a scary situation ... there's many undocumented people who work hard. They support their families. (For some) that's all people have, just one person, and it could be taken away from them that fast," she said.

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Jun 09, 2025, 11:49 PM GMT

Over 70 people arrested over the weekend, 5 LAPD officers injured

A total of 72 people were arrested over the weekend during protests across Los Angeles county, according to the latest numbers from law enforcement agencies.

The Los Angeles Police Department arrested 29 people Saturday evening for failure to disperse. They arrested 21 people on Sunday for charges ranging from attempted murder with a molotov cocktail, assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, looting and failure to disperse.

Five LAPD officers were injured during confrontations with protesters, according to the department. Five horses that were used during crowd control were targeted and sustained minor injuries, LAPD said.

The California Highway Patrol reported 19 arrests Sunday while the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department arrested three people overnight.

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Jun 09, 2025, 11:23 PM GMT

Waymo suspends service in downtown LA

Waymo announced Monday it is temporarily suspending service in downtown L.A. after several of its self-driving cars were torched Sunday. The self-driving cars will still operate in other parts of the city. Waymo cars use lithium-ion batteries, which release toxic gases into the air when burned.

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Jun 09, 2025, 11:33 PM GMT

Small group protests ICE raid outside Whittier Home Depot

Several people were reportedly taken into custody in an ICE raid outside a Home Depot in Whittier on Monday.

Video from the scene shows a group of protesters gathered outside the store.

Several people were reportedly taken into custody in an ICE raid outside a Home Depot in Whittier on Monday.

A witness told Eyewitness News that about 10 people were taken into custody. Another witness said he was detained but later released after showing paperwork to prove he is in the country legally.

The city of Whittier confirmed that federal immigration officials were also present Monday at the Whittier Public Library parking lot and in front of Whittier City Hall.

In a statement on social media, the city said it did not receive any advanced alerts regarding the ICE activity.

The city of Whittier emphasized that it is not housing any ICE detainees and it is not working with any federal immigration agencies.

"We understand how stressful and upsetting this is for many in our community. We urge residents to remain calm, avoid confrontation, and prioritize personal safety," the city wrote in a statement. "We remain committed to transparency and will continue to share updates as we receive new information."