Tensions escalated in Los Angeles on Friday following a series of federal immigration raids that resulted in the reported detention of dozens of people. Unfolding across multiple sites, the raids were part of US President Donald Trump's intensified crackdown on undocumented migrants.

According to local media, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents targeted several locations, including a Home Depot in the Westlake District, an apparel store in the Fashion District, and a clothing warehouse in South Los Angeles. Television footage showed unmarked, military-style vehicles and vans transporting uniformed agents throughout the city.

The Los Angeles City News Service reported that dozens were taken into custody, though ICE has not yet issued an official statement. The enforcement action, however, was part of a broader campaign that Trump has pledged would result in record levels of deportations.

By evening, protests had erupted in downtown Los Angeles in response to the raids. Demonstrators gathered near a federal court building, where anti-ICE slogans were spray-painted on the walls. Crowds also massed near a nearby jail believed to be holding some of the detainees.

Live footage from Reuters showed LAPD officers in riot gear forming lines in the street, equipped with batons and tear gas rifles. After ordering protesters to disperse, police declared an unlawful assembly. Some protesters reportedly threw chunks of broken concrete, prompting police to respond with volleys of tear gas, pepper spray, and flash-bang rounds.

It was unclear whether any arrests were made during the confrontation. LAPD spokesperson Drake Madison confirmed that those who refused to leave the area were subject to arrest.

Detention of union leader David Huerta draws criticism

One of those detained during the raids was David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) of California. According to an SEIU statement, Huerta was injured and taken into custody by ICE while observing enforcement activity at one of the raid locations.

The union stated that Huerta was arrested “while exercising his First Amendment right to observe and document law enforcement activity.” The nature and severity of his injury were not disclosed, and it remains unclear whether any charges have been filed against him.

ICE did not respond to requests for comment on Huerta’s detention.

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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued a strong condemnation of the raids, stating: "These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city." Bass's remarks underscored growing concerns over the impact of such raids on immigrant communities and the broader atmosphere of fear and instability in Los Angeles.

The LAPD clarified that it did not participate in the immigration enforcement operation but was deployed solely to manage the civil unrest that followed.

'Deport one million migrants'

Earlier in April, the Trump administration set its sights on a striking goal: deporting one million immigrants within a single year, a figure that would shatter all historical records. According to a Washington Post report citing four current and former federal officials with direct knowledge of internal discussions, the "1 million" target has repeatedly come up in private strategy sessions as the driving ambition behind the administration’s intensified deportation campaign during Trump’s first year back in office.

Deporting such a large number would significantly outpace prior records. The highest annual deportation figure to date was slightly over 400,000 during the Obama administration. However, officials say it remains unclear how Trump’s team is calculating the numbers.

Given current staffing levels, limited resources, and legal obligations, such as the requirement for court hearings in most cases, analysts cited in the report say the one-million deportation goal appears highly unrealistic, if not outright logistically unfeasible.