Law enforcement agencies across Los Angeles are fielding lawsuits as questions mount over how this summer’s anti-immigration enforcement riots first sparked.
The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), a Washington, D.C.,-based group that advocates for lower levels of illegal immigration, sued the LA Police Department (LAPD), the LA County Sheriff’s Department (LACSD) and the the California Highway Patrol (CHP), the group announced Monday. FAIR is demanding these agencies comply with their records requests, which seek documentation related to the chaotic anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protests that swept LA in June, resulting in hundreds of arrests and millions of dollars worth of damages.
“These lawsuits are crucial to bring transparency to local law enforcement’s role in the LA anti-ICE riots,” Dale Wilcox, FAIR’s executive director and general counsel, said in a public statement.
“California agencies are shielding information that could expose how sanctuary policies enabled violence against federal officers,” Wilcox continued. “These lawsuits are essential to hold riot organizers accountable and prevent future sabotage of immigration enforcement.”
A spokesperson for the LAPD told the Daily Caller News Foundation that their office does not comment on pending litigation. Spokespeople for LACSD and CHP did not respond to requests for comment.
Anti-ICE protests in LA — a city with official policies prohibiting cooperation between local officials and federal immigration authorities — sparked in early June after the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Demonstrations quickly escalated into full-scale riots that lasted for days. The chaos began when over 1,000 rioters surrounded a federal building, defaced government property, assaulted agents, and slashed tires, ICE confirmed at the time.
American citizens and illegal migrants alike participated in the riots, with federal immigration authorities and other law enforcement agencies arresting hundreds who allegedly burned down vehicles and attacked cops. Earlier in October, a previously-deported illegal migrant pleaded guilty to throwing a Molotov cocktail at LASD deputies during a violent clash on June 9, and he now faces years in jail.
The mayhem has cost taxpayers well over $30 million dollars, according to city officials.
As early as June, the Trump administration announced the the Internal Revenue Service was helping a multi-agency effort to trace money allegedly connected to the anti-ICE riots and possible financial support for agitators.
Groups such as FAIR have also been digging into the possible origins of the large-scale riots. The organization previously published an investigative report that alleges the violent protests were not a spontaneous response to law enforcement, but a “premeditated operation” orchestrated by anti-ICE actors, such as the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, the Hispanic Federation and other groups. These groups likely provided training, legal support and other resources to those taking part in the riots, according to FAIR.
FAIR lodged records requests with the LAPD, the LACSD and the CHP, seeking their communication with many of these outside groups. However, FAIR alleges that these agencies have slow-walked responses, prompting them to sue.
“Our investigative report already demonstrated that foreign actors and anti-borders groups orchestrated this chaos to undermine America’s borders,” Mateo Forero, director of investigations at FAIR, said in a public statement. “The withheld records will help uncover the full network of funders and agitators, ensuring those who fueled the riots face justice.”
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