United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity was reported on Jan. 15 in the Los Angeles Fashion District near the corner of Maple Avenue and East 11th Street. There have been no confirmed arrests made by ICE agents, but videos circulating online show several vans in the area as people screamed for them to leave the area.
The LA Fashion District Business Improvement District said that “moments like this can feel unsettling” in a news release and said that it is working closely with city leadership to support the business and people within the community.
“The LA Fashion District remains open, resilient and rooted in a strong community of small businesses,” the email continued. “We encourage everyone to continue showing love and support for the merchants, workers, and creatives who are here every day.”
Mayor Karen Bass issued the following statement:
“I am deeply alarmed by multiple reports of federal immigration enforcement activity in the Fashion District, one of the first areas targeted by ICE when the Trump administration began its reckless, dangerous raids in Los Angeles over the summer. This show of force by ICE is particularly troubling given the recent ICE escalation and violence in American cities, including the fatal shootings of Keith Porter Jr. by an off-duty ICE agent on New Year’s Eve here in Los Angeles and Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis.
“Equally troubling are the President’s threats of invoking the Insurrection Act, which would bring military intervention into our cities. This purposeful campaign of fear and intimidation by the administration is unacceptable. These tactics do not make anyone safer — they only sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city.
“Angelenos — and Americans across the country — have made it clear: we want ICE out of our cities.”