Father Brendan Busse, S.J., pastor of Dolores Mission Catholic Church in Boyle Heights, called for the LAPD to build more trust in immigrant communities. (photo by Edwin Folven)

A group of approximately 40 protesters demonstrated outside Los Angeles Police Department headquarters in Downtown Los Angeles on April 7 to call for the LAPD to stop “providing protection” for federal agents during immigration enforcement operations.

The demonstration was organized by the L.A. Sanctuary Coalition, whose members represent the ACLU of Southern California, SEIU UHW, LA Voice, the Garment Worker Center, California Immigrant Policy Center, CLEAN Carwash Worker Center, Central American Resource Center and National Day Laborer Organizing Network, among other groups. Although the LAPD’s policy is to not assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations, officers are frequently called to the scene of immigration enforcement operations to set up perimeters and provide crowd control, organizers said. The anti-ICE demonstrators gathered at LAPD Headquarters before the April 7 Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners meeting, asking the board to establish official policies that would stop the police department from assisting federal agents in any way.

“We are here demanding that the police stop collaborating with ICE,” said Carlos Amador, of the L.A. Sanctuary Coalition. “We are here because we have been able to pass a strong sanctuary ordinance in the city of L.A., and we have been following up on executive directives as well as other ordinances that have been passed to ensure that the members of the community here in Los Angeles are being protected. But unfortunately and disappointedly, the LAPD has failed to implement the sanctuary policies and ordinances, and that’s why we’re here today demanding that the LAPD stop collaborating with ICE.”

Amador read a statement from a member of the Garment Worker Center who was among approximately 40 people detained during an immigration raid last June at Ambiance Apparel in Downtown Los Angeles.

“ICE showed up at my workplace, a warehouse operated by Ambiance, and detained me and my co-workers. The agents blocked all the entrances. We were trapped. At the moment, I thought of my family, and I thought that it was my turn to go and leave my family behind,” the worker’s statement read. “I secretly sent a message to my family because they wouldn’t let us speak to our loved ones. When my children arrived at the Fashion District trying to find me, they couldn’t get close. I was detained at Adelanto (detention facility) for three weeks. It was inhumane. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. We were workers, but we were treated like criminals. That day, ICE not only terrorized me and my peers, but also our families and our community in Los Angeles. The least local government can do is to ensure that when ICE comes to kidnap more people, the police cannot assist them.”

The Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners was not scheduled to consider a motion on the LAPD policy regarding ICE at the April 7 meeting and did not take any action. The LAPD follows Special Order 4, enacted in 1979, which prohibits officers from initiating contact and investigating or interrogating individuals solely based on immigration status. In response to immigration raids that began last June in Los Angeles, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell reiterated the stance.

“I’m aware that these actions cause anxiety for many Angelenos, so I want to make it clear – the LAPD is not involved in civil immigration enforcement. While the LAPD will continue to have a visible presence in all our communities to ensure public safety, we will not assist or participate in any sort of mass deportations, nor will the LAPD try to determine an individual’s immigration status,” McDonnell said in a June 9, 2025, statement.

An LAPD spokesman issued a statement after the April 7 demonstration outside police headquarters addressing the protester’s concerns.

“The Los Angeles Police Department is aware of the concerns and respects the right of community members to share their perspectives,” LAPD Spokesman J. Chaves said. “LAPD remains committed to serving all communities while adhering to applicable laws and city policies. We will continue working with the police commission and our community partners to ensure transparency, trust and public safety.”

Father Brendan Busse, S.J., pastor of Dolores Mission Catholic Church in Boyle Heights, was among the demonstrators on April 7 who said the department needs to do more to build trust in immigrant communities.

“We have a long history of doing the work of bringing people together and keeping them safe,” Busse said. “We are the birthplace of Homeboy Industries, the largest gang rehabilitation and reentry program in the world. Serving and protecting. That’s what we’ve been doing, and that’s what we’re here to ask LAPD to do, to serve and to protect. Our safety and sanctuary go together.”