Protesters Clash with ICE Agents, LAPD in Los Angeles

Thousands of protesters clashed with federal immigration agents and Los Angeles police outside a federal detention center in downtown Los Angeles on Friday afternoon, marking a violent turn in a nationwide day of action against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. The incident unfolded near Alameda Street and 1st Street, where demonstrators demanded an end to deportations and the removal of federal agents from local neighborhoods.

The protests began peacefully earlier in the day, with crowds gathering outside City Hall before marching toward East Los Angeles as part of the "ICE Out Everywhere" initiative. Organizers called for a national shutdown, urging participants to skip school, work and shopping to highlight opposition to federal immigration enforcement. By around 5 p.m., tensions escalated outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, also known as the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building. Video footage from the scene showed protesters throwing objects, including water bottles and debris, at shielded federal agents, who responded with pepper spray and pepper balls to push back the crowd.

Local police arrived to reinforce the federal agents, who had been...