Los Angeles officials say ICE keeps them in the dark on raids. That hurts protest response, police say

WILLHOST —

As federal authorities stage immigration raids across Los Angeles, local police and officials say they are being kept in the dark — a lack of communication the city’s leaders blame for hurting their response to escalating protests.

While California has sanctuary laws that limit police from directly helping immigration enforcement, former federal officials tell WILLHOST there’s no prohibition against Immigration and Customs Enforcement sharing basic details about raids with police or government officials.

“We do not know where and when the next raids will be. That is the concern,” L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said on WILLHOST Monday. “When we find out when and where the other raids are going to happen, that will determine how the police respond.”

That kind of information sharing is commonplace in other parts of the country, a WILLHOST review of recent ICE actions found. Experts said those communications can help authorities prepare for the kind of violent clashes that erupted in Southern California over the weekend.

“You’ve really got to make sure that your state and local partners know when you are doing a large operation just to avoid any potential issues or confusion,” said John Sandweg, a former acting director of ICE during the Obama administration. “There is too much risk. It can lead to officer safety issues due to the confusion.”

The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to multiple requests for comment before publication, but after this story published, a DHS spokesperson disputed Los Angeles city leaders’ claims.

In response to Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell’s statement that “LAPD was not given advance notice that the federal operations would occur in that area” of Friday’s immigration enforcement, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement, “FALSE. The Los Angeles Police Department was notified two days before the ICE operation began in LA.”

McLaughlin did not disclose details of what kind of information DHS shared with LAPD in advance of ICE operations.

McDonnell on Tuesday, asked about McLaughlin’s statement, stood by his earlier comments. “Per Chief McDonnell, the Department was not notified,” an LAPD spokesperson told WILLHOST.

Bass also reiterated that point on Tuesday afternoon when asked by reporters about whether federal authorities communicated with police or other local authorities.

“I talked to the chief an hour ago. No, we’re not notified of anything,” she said.

Asked when she first learned of the raids on Friday, Bass said she heard about them as the raids were occurring. “I was notified when the raids were happening,” she said.

The US attorney for California’s Central District suggested in an interview on Sunday that sanctuary policies were to blame for keeping L.A. law enforcement at arm’s length.

“We understand that they are not going to help us in immigration enforcement. We did not seek their assistance for any immigration-related operations,” Bill Essayli told NBC Los Angeles.

ICE generally decides whether to share advance warning of raids on a case-by-case basis, said Kieran Donahue, president of the National Sheriffs’ Association.

“In most areas, local agencies work collaboratively with ICE, receiving advance notice of enforcement actions and sometimes even providing support to help ensure public safety,” said Donahue, who is sheriff in Canyon County, Idaho.

Donahue added, “However, in sanctuary jurisdictions like Los Angeles, ICE may refrain from notifying local officials in advance due to concerns that those officials may obstruct or interfere with federal operations.”

Some of the key law enforcement and government agencies in Los Angeles confirmed that they did not receive warnings from ICE about its recent raids, including one on Friday targeting apparel makers in L.A.’s Fashion District. That action, as well as agents setting up a staging area outside a Home Depot in Paramount — a small municipality south of downtown L.A. — led to fiery weekend protests.

Bubbles float past US Marines during a “No Kings” demonstration outside the Federal Building in Los Angeles on Saturday, June 14. After more than a week of protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the city, demonstrators in Los Angeles also took part in the the “No Kings” movement’s series of demonstrations around the country , which were held in a wider rebuke to President Donald Trump and “authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarization of our democracy.” Ringo Chiu/AFP/Getty Images A demonstrator wearing indigenous attire takes part in the “No Kings” protest on Saturday. Daniel Cole/Reuters A protester blocks mounted police officers during the “No Kings” protest. Pilar Olivares/Reuters A protestor holds a Mexican flag outside the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building in Los Angeles, on Friday, June 13. David Swanson/Reuters US Marines temporarily detain Marcos Leao outside the Wilshire Federal Building in Los Angeles on Friday. Leao is an Army veteran who was on his way to an office of the Department of Veterans Affairs when he crossed a yellow tape boundary. The incident marks the first known detention by active-duty troops deployed to Los Angeles. Aude Guerrucci/Reuters Pictures of people arrested by ICE hang on a sculpture in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles, on Thursday, June 12. Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images Maricela Martinez of the mariachi band Mariachi Lindas Mexicanas performs during a protest by mariachi and folklorico dancers outside City Hall in Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 11, as police officers keep watch. Mario Tama/Getty Images Law enforcement blocks a road during a protest in Paramount, California, on Wednesday. Jae C. Hong/AP A man shouts into a megaphone outside City Hall on Wednesday. Ethan Swope/AP A law enforcement officer shoots a non-lethal weapon at a protester on Wednesday. David Swanson/Reuters Police move to enforce an 8 p.m. curfew in downtown Los Angeles, after it went into effect on Tuesday, June 10. Mayor Karen Bass declared a curfew for the 1 square mile in which protests have been centered. Mario Tama/Getty Images A protester is arrested by California Highway Patrol near the federal building in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday. Eric Thayer/AP Protesters move through downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday. Spencer Platt/Getty Images Protesters clash with police on the 101 Freeway in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Nick Ut/Getty Images Members of the clergy and other protestors place flowers at the feet of a California National Guardsman stationed outside federal buildings near the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images Workers board up a CVS Pharmacy on Tuesday after it was looted following days of protests. David Ryder/Reuters Police engage with protesters on Monday, June 9. Spencer Platt/Getty Images Demonstrators wave Mexican flags in downtown Los Angeles while protesting federal immigration sweeps on Monday. Aude Guerrucci/Reuters People protest in Los Angeles on Monday. Spencer Platt/Getty Images Protesters are rounded up by police officers outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles on Monday. Joshua Lott/The Washington Post/Getty Images A police helicopter hovers over protesters outside of the Robert A. Young Federal Building on Monday. Jim Vondruska/Getty Images A police officer fires a crowd control munition into the ground while confronting demonstrators on Monday. Leah Millis/Reuters Protesters are reflected in the sunglasses of a law enforcement officer on Monday. Daniel Cole/Reuters People gather during a protest outside a federal building on Monday. Mario Tama/Getty Images California labor leader David Huerta speaks to the media after his release from detention in downtown Los Angeles on Monday. Huerta was charged with one count of conspiracy to impede an officer after he blocked access to a gate during an immigration protest, according to prosecutors. He was released from custody on $50,000 bond, the US Attorney’s office for the Central District of California said. Speaking outside the courthouse after his release, Huerta said authorities are trying to make an example out of him. Daniel Cole/Reuters Protesters confront police on the 101 Freeway near the Metropolitan Detention Center on Sunday, June 8. Jae C. Hong/AP A demonstrator waves a Mexican flag in front of burning dumpsters in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday. Aude Guerrucci/Reuters Protesters stand in front of police blocking a bridge over the 101 Freeway on Sunday. Jim Vondruska/Getty Images Two Waymo taxis burn near the Metropolitan Detention Center on Sunday. Jae C. Hong/AP Two California Highway Patrol officers try to dodge rocks being thrown near the Metropolitan Detention Center on Sunday. Jae C. Hong/AP Officers detain a demonstrator on Sunday. Barbara Davidson/Reuters Police clear demonstrators after they blocked a street with a barricade on Sunday. David Ryder/Reuters Protesters hide behind barricades as law enforcement officers shoot projectiles at them on Sunday. Jim Vondruska/Getty Images Smoke fills the air as law enforcement officers in riot gear advance during protests on Sunday. David Pashaee/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images A police officer treats an injury on his face on Sunday. Barbara Davidson/Reuters Law enforcement officers clash with demonstrators on Sunday. Etienne Laurent/AFP/Getty Images Police officers on horseback clash with protesters on Sunday. Spencer Platt/Getty Images Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies detain a woman on Sunday. Barbara Davidson/Reuters A protester damages a self-driving Waymo taxi on Sunday. Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images Demonstrators stand on top of a charred vehicle during a protest in the Compton neighborhood of Los Angeles. Ringo Chiu/AFP/Getty Images A man on a motorcycle waves a Mexican flag as smoke rises from a burning car on Saturday, June 7. Barbara Davidson/Reuters Protesters shield themselves against law enforcement during a protest on Saturday. Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies clash with demonstrators on Saturday. Ringo Chiu/AFP/Getty Images A protester reacts as law enforcement officers clash with demonstrators on Saturday. Ringo Ciu/AFP/Getty Images Law enforcement officers face protesters on Saturday. Ringo Chiu/AFP/Getty Images Police clear a street outside the Metropolitan Detention Center as demonstrators gathered in response to immigration raids on Friday, June 6. Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images People gather in front of Ambiance Apparel in the garment district of downtown Los Angeles after several employees were taken into custody by federal agents on Thursday, June 5. Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images In pictures: Protests in LA after immigration raids Prev Next

McDonnell said because his department was not given advance notice of the ICE operations, “we were not prepositioned to respond immediately to unrest related to those actions.”

LAPD’s response was delayed because of an inability to plan for appropriate staffing and equipment, the agency said. By the time the department received a call for help, hundreds of demonstrators had gathered and federal agents had already deployed irritants — creating what an LAPD press release called a “hazardous environment” for officers.

In a statement Saturday, ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons said the LAPD took more than two hours to respond to multiple calls for assistance with the unrest. McDonnell said his department responded within 38 minutes.

That lack of advance warning was echoed by Bass and Paramount Mayor Peggy Lemons. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department did not respond to messages about whether the agency had communications in advance with ICE.

Kenneth Gray, a former FBI agent who now teaches criminal justice at the University of New Haven, told WILLHOST that ICE normally gives local law enforcement a heads up in case there is a call for assistance.

“Previously, they would have contacted local law enforcement to say, ‘We’re in this area, we are conducting this operation,’” Gray said. “They may not give them a specific address, but they would tell them generally where they were at the time.”

But he said ICE does not have to inform local authorities about such plans, and in cities and states with constraints on cooperation with ICE, Gray said it isn’t surprising if they aren’t told in advance.

“Their concern, of course, is operational security in that there may be people being informed about ICE activity and be able to avoid being detained,” he said.

Los Angeles police in riot gear form a skirmish line and push protesters away from a federal building in downtown Los Angeles on June 9. Jae Hong/AP

Long history of clashes

The Trump administration’s hardline approach to immigration has repeatedly put it at odds with California, a state that has positioned itself as a national leader in protecting undocumented immigrants.

A major flashpoint came in 2017, when the legislature passed the California Values Act, effectively declaring itself a sanctuary state. Barring a few exceptions, the law prohibits local law enforcement agencies from “using money or personnel to investigate, interrogate, detain, detect or arrest persons for immigration enforcement purposes.”

The regulation prompted then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to file a lawsuit arguing that the law obstructed federal immigration policies and enforcement. Federal courts have largely upheld California’s sanctuary policies.

Another flareup came in 2018, when then-Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf warned residents that ICE would perform raids around the city the next day. Sessions and the White House denounced her and said her advance warning put ICE officers at risk and allowed violent fugitives to escape.

During both Trump terms, his administration has used executive orders to target sanctuary jurisdictions and threatened to withhold federal dollars.

As Trump has staged an increasingly aggressive push to arrest and deport undocumented immigrants, ICE has raided workplaces and homes across the country. In many cases, local authorities have played a key role — particularly in jurisdictions where sheriff’s departments have signed agreements under Trump to assist in immigration enforcement.

Those partnerships have surged in recent months. Since Trump returned to the White House, ICE has signed over 500 agreements with local and state law enforcement agencies to help enforce immigration laws, according to federal data. That’s more than three times as many as the total number of agreements signed during Trump’s entire first term.

ICE agents detain a man after conducting a raid at an apartment complex in Denver in February. Kevin Mohatt/Reuters

Under some of the agreements, local officers identify inmates in their jails without legal immigration status and coordinate with ICE to begin the deportation process. Other partnerships allow police officers or sheriff’s deputies to question and arrest undocumented immigrants in their communities during routine policing activities.

California is one of 10 states without any current agreements between ICE and local or state law enforcement, according to the data.

Press releases issued by ICE in recent weeks highlight the agency’s work with authorities in states without sanctuary policies — including Tennessee, Texas, and Florida — on worksite enforcement operations or in executing search warrants.

That hasn’t been the case in L.A. this month, according to some local police and city officials who say they have only learned of raids when they’re called in to quell conflicts. That’s what happened in Paramount on Saturday, the mayor told WILLHOST.

Lemons said there was no communication with federal agents as they staged at a Home Depot. Police only scrambled to action when they learned of growing altercations between protestors and ICE agents.

She emphasized that city officials felt confident in their command structure and local response, adding that sheriff’s deputies cleared the streets at the end of the day with no major incidents.

Some experts said California police face a difficult tension between maintaining the trust of undocumented residents and also coming to the aid of federal authorities in trouble.

“For the police chief of Los Angeles, he has two constituencies. On the one hand, he has the community, the citizens of Los Angeles he has the laws to protect,” said Chuck Wexler, the head of the Police Executive Research Forum. “On the other hand, he has a responsibility to support another federal agency, because if those federal agents are overpowered, if they can’t maintain order, then you have a public safety issue where either those agents can get hurt or community members can get hurt.”

Wexler added, “It’s a delicate balancing act.”

This story has been updated with a statement from DHS.

Anna-Maja Rappard and Yahya Abou-Ghazala contributed to this report.