Multiple immigration sweeps reported across Los Angeles, with a tense standoff/protest downtown; SEIU union leader arrested

79-year-old US citizen claims ICE agents body-slammed him at his business, seeks $50M​

Surveillance video shows agents shoving business owner to the ground.

An elderly Los Angeles business owner has filed a $50 million federal administrative claim alleging he was body-slammed and detained by federal immigration agents during a raid at his Van Nuys car wash earlier this month.

Rafie Ollah Shouhed, 79, suffered multiple broken ribs, elbow injuries and a traumatic brain injury during the Sept. 9 incident, according to the federal tort claim filed by his attorneys.

According to his claim, when Shouhed attempted to show agents proof of his employees' work authorization, agents "cursed at him" and "violently body-slammed him onto the pavement." Three agents then allegedly pinned him down, with one placing a knee on his neck, the claim stated.

Woman hospitalized after being detained by federal agents at Ladera Heights Home Depot​

“Let me go. I am an American who was born here," the woman is heard yelling in a video shared with NBC4.​

Witnesses tell NBC4 the woman was monitoring an immigration enforcement operation when she was detained and then taken to a hospital.

Witness video from a Ladera Heights Home Depot this morning shows a woman screaming as she is detained by federal agents. At one point, she identifies herself as an American.

“My name is Rachel Simon. I am an American citizen. I was born here. Please.”

It’s still unclear what led up to the confrontation. Witnesses say she is a member of the HILL Network, a community immigration defense group, and that she was monitoring the area.

Details on the woman's condition were not immediately available. According to the HILL Network, the woman was released from custody; it's unclear if she will face any charges.

essentialsaltes said:

Trump’s top federal prosecutor in L.A. struggles to secure indictments in protest cases​

Essayli has won indictments in some serious cases, including two where defendants are accused of throwing or planning to throw Molotov cocktails at L.A. law enforcement officers, and a case where defendants allegedly fired a paintball gun at federal police.

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Man pleads guilty to throwing Molotov cocktail at deputies during immigration protest​

A 23-year-old man has pleaded guilty to throwing a Molotov cocktail at Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies during protests against immigration raids across the region last spring

The incendiary device landed in a grassy area near the foot of a protester and about 15 feet (4.5 meters) from the deputies, according to the plea agreement. Galvez said he then ran away.

[No mention of any injuries.]

Feds say TikToker shot by ICE had previously escaped. A video casts doubt​

• A video reviewed by The Times contradicts public accounts by the Department of Homeland Security that a popular TikTok streamer, Carlitos Ricardo Parias, “had previously escaped from custody.”
• Policing experts who reviewed the video raise questions and concerns about how federal agents handled the detention of a suspect.
• The aborted detention was followed by last week’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in which an agent shot and wounded a deputy U.S. marshal and Parias, who is suspected of being in the country illegally.

The six armed federal agents loomed around their detained suspect, Carlitos Ricardo Parias, who was handcuffed and sitting on the sidewalk, moaning as he held his right leg.

A small crowd gathered around them on that day in June, according to video of the incident. Three civilians are seen helping Parias, 44, a well-known TikTok streamer, to his feet and walking him to a car, as Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and deputy marshals watch. Parias is limping and holding his leg.

“See, they’re not arresting him, they’re not doing nothing,” a woman shouts.

One agent blocks one of the men helping Parias by the car door but quickly relents. The men then drive away, with Parias still wearing handcuffs.

The video of the aborted detention reviewed by The Times contradicts public accounts by Department of Homeland Security officials, who said Parias “previously escaped from custody.” It raises questions of why the agents appeared to willingly let a suspect go, ultimately setting off a sequence of events that ended in a shooting that wounded Parias and a deputy marshal last week.

The June 13 incident became a point of contention during a detention hearing for Parias on Friday morning

“They waited several months to [follow up],” [his lawyer] Rivera said. “And that’s simply not the conduct someone takes if they think you’re a danger.”

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The truck driver said the agents didn’t inquire about Parias’ immigration status and never presented a warrant for an arrest.

Federal agents left to avoid conflict with the crowd, according to the LAPD report.

Policing experts who reviewed video of the incident said the crowd did not appear to be threatening law enforcement officials, and the federal agents on the ground didn’t appear to be taking actions showing they were concerned for their safety.

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During the detention hearing Friday, Jones told the judge that officers subsequently secured an arrest warrant for Parias, who’s charged with being in the country illegally.

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But the decision to allow Parias to leave the scene while still handcuffed befuddles [a police expert].

“It’s wild,” Magula said. “It’s interesting that he’s handcuffed in front of his body as well. That’s not very common procedure for someone you intend to arrest. It also speaks about a lack of control.”

DHS ‘erroneously’ told watchdog group it had no Noem text messages​

American Oversight said the admission raises questions about whether officials are following their obligation to manually save their messages and that they have yet to receive the public records it requested.

The disclosure came in a public records lawsuit brought by the group to obtain text messages sent by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during immigration raids in Los Angeles.

Court documents also show the National Archives asked the DHS to investigate the potential destruction of records and report back by Nov. 3. However, by Oct. 30, a National Archives official said they had not yet received a response from the DHS.

“After misleading us for months, DHS wants us to trust that the law is being followed. But the agency has not turned over the records we requested nor has it provided details about whether senior officials’ text messages have been preserved in accordance with the law. It’s time for transparency — not more empty assurances.”

Judge orders ICE to allow immigrant detainees in downtown LA to see lawyers​

U.S. District Judge Maame E. Frimpong issued the permanent injunction Thursday requiring that detainees confined in the basement facility known as B-18 in the federal building be given access to lawyers as required by the Fifth Amendment right to counsel.

At a hearing last month, Frimpong heard that immigrants were detained for extended periods at B-18 in conditions that prevented private communication with attorneys. Lawyers reported that clients were denied access to phone lines, turned away from in-person meetings, and pressured to sign legal documents before speaking with a lawyer.

In her written ruling this week, the judge converted an existing temporary restraining order into a preliminary injunction to ensure continued compliance while litigation proceeds.

B-18 was designed to hold people only temporarily for processing before release or transport to a longer-term detention facility, evidence shows. It has no beds, showers or medical facilities, and is limited in size.

But, plaintiffs argue, ICE transformed B-18 into a de facto long-term detention facility for detainees swept up in immigration raids and mass arrests over the summer, and individuals held there have had their contact with the outside world purposely obstructed.

‘An American nightmare’: L.A. hosts first congressional hearing on effect of immigration raids​

• A congressional hearing Monday explored how Trump’s immigration crackdown has harmed L.A. residents, including U.S. citizens who say they were wrongfully detained by ICE agents.
• The Long Beach mayor reported immigration agents have arrested more than 50 residents in the city.
• Lawmakers announced investigations into arrests of U.S. citizens and immigration raids, promising accountability for what one representative called “an American nightmare.”

There was the U.S. citizen who said she no longer feels safe after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer slammed her to the ground in downtown Los Angeles and later accused her of assault ... Prosecutors initially charged Velez with assault on a federal officer, alleging that Velez, who is 4 feet 11 inches, stood in the path of an ICE officer with her arms extended, striking his head and chest when they collided. Soon after, prosecutors dismissed the case.

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach), announced last month that Congress was opening “a broad investigation” into arrests of U.S. citizens by ICE officers, as well as a separate probe into immigration raids overall.

The Monday hearing was scheduled after leaders of One LA-IAF — a network of faith and community based organizations across L.A. county — met with Bass and called for public hearings in order to document civil rights violations happening in communities.

More than 20 community members shared stories of the everyday impact across L.A.: Of a loved one thrown to the ground by immigration agents at a car wash. Of a father who showed agents his work permit and license, but was still detained as he sold food on the street. Of a student considering dropping out so he can work and not have his father be at risk. Of a parish that decided to close its doors during Sunday Mass to prevent ICE agents from getting inside. Of a Thai victim of sex trafficking — who had received a visa and is pending adjustment of status to permanent legal residency — who had their removal case reopened.