LA anti-ICE protest: Authorities clash with protesters on Independence Day; Alameda Street shuts down
A large group of protesters opposing federal immigration enforcement filled downtown streets on Friday, July 4, turning a tense standoff with authorieties.
Demonstrators gathered outside City Hall on Spring Street at about 9 am for what organisers called as a 'march against ICE, federal occupation in downtown LA.'
By 3 pm the march had reached the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building on Alameda Street, between Temple and Aliso Streets. The crowd remained outside the complex for three hours, chanting against recent immigration raids while flanked by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers, Customs and Border Protection personnel and US Marines.
Tensions spiked when DHS declared an unlawful assembly. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) later posted on X, 'Demonstrators are confronting Federal Protective Security Personnel and National Guard Members,' adding that federal agents had deployed less‑lethal munitions and urging residents to avoid the area.
National Guard troops and federal agents formed a skirmish line, ordering protesters to disperse. When the crowd blocked several lanes of Alameda Street, LAPD issued a formal dispersal order at 7:05 pm. Most demonstrators left soon after.
Police closed Alameda Street between First and Aliso Streets, and First Street between San Pedro and Alameda Streets, for roughly an hour to clear debris and restore traffic.
Organisers said the march was a response to a series of immigration raids that began last month across the Los Angeles area. They also pointed to the Trump administration's decision to deploy National Guard soldiers and Marines amid growing protests.
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