Some elected leaders in Los Angeles County expressed indignation after hearing reports of federal agents holding people at a bus stop close to a Winchell’s Donut House in Pasadena.
Rep. Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park) stated in a social media video that six Pasadena citizens were taken into custody on Wednesday morning. Chu claimed that when she asked the Department of Homeland Security for details on the conditions under which the detainees were being detained, they turned her down.
Chu asserted that we are entitled to know what is going on with them.
Chu also voiced his shock at an unnamed agent brandishing a gun at a citizen who was attempting to record his license plate on camera. Witnesses captured the event on camera.
According to Chu, the ICE officer rushed out of the car and brandished a rifle as if he were going to shoot the young man for recording the license plate on camera. It’s ridiculous.
Videos broadcast by KABC-TV Channel 7 depict males being arrested while seated on a bus bench. Another shows a man in a black vest and cap getting out of a car, pulling out a gun, and pointing it at another man. Three of the six detainees were elderly, according to a witness who spoke to KABC.
Chu shared a video of a witness’s actions near the intersection of Orange Grove Boulevard and Los Robles Avenue on social media, writing, “As you can see, these ICE agents are pointing guns at innocent individuals, no warrants, no explanations, just fear and intimidation.”
In my district, these raids are utterly disgusting. They are scaring families and ruining any sense of safety in our towns while wearing masks and carrying militia-style weapons. Chu wrote, “This is an egregious abuse of power, not law enforcement, and I will not stand for it.”
When witnesses demanded the masked men to provide identification, one of them stepped out of the unmarked car and aimed his firearm at onlookers, according to state senator Sasha Ren e Prez (D-Alhambra), whose constituency contains Pasadena.
Federal officials are frightening individuals with these sweeps, according to Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn on Wednesday.
According to a statement from Hahn, we have already witnessed children skipping school, people avoiding church, shopping, and even coming to work. I wouldn’t be shocked if more people avoided using the Metro after reading about this occurrence. This is incorrect. Our communities are suffering greatly from the dread they are inciting.
The L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority head, Hahn, said she has instructed Metro employees on the agency’s procedures in the event that immigration officers board a bus or train. “I want Metro to do everything in our power to protect our riders, even though I know the options will be limited,” she said.
Chu claimed she was turned away when she tried to enter the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles to learn more about the conditions under which the inmates were being detained.
In support of those in custody, a nonviolent demonstration was staged on Wednesday evening at the intersection of Orange Grove Boulevard and Los Robles Avenue, according to KTTV-TV Channel 11. According to the news outlet, one of those arrested was on their way to work, where they were doing fire recovery work for areas damaged by the Eaton fire in Altadena.
