Immigration raids pick up in L.A. as federal tactics shift. Arrests happen in 'as fast as 30 seconds'

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At a recent training session for 300 immigration activists in Los Angeles, the main topic was Minnesota and the changes to federal immigration tactics.For the last few months, federal law enforcement officers have intensified their efforts to locate and deport immigrants suspected of living in the country illegally.They have used children as bait, gone door-to-door and at times forcibly stormed into people’s homes without judicial warrants.But it was the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, two U.S.

citizens protesting immigration raids in Minnesota, that sparked a growing backlash of the federal government’s aggressive actions and caused activists to reconsider their own approach when monitoring Immigration and Customs Enforcement.“One quick note about de-escalation,” Joseline Garcia, the community defense director for City Council District 1, told a crowd at St.Paul’s Commons in Echo Park.

“What we would do when it came to de-escalation is we’d tell people their rights, try to get their information and try to reason with the ICE agents and pressure them to leave.”“Things have changed a ton in the past two months, so that’s not something we’re willing to put you all at risk to do,” she added.“There is risk here and we are always encouraging people to stay safe and please constantly be assessing the risks.”The immigration crackdown began in Los Angeles last summer but has continued in the region even after the national focus shifted to Chicago and now Minneapolis.

The last month has seen a new series of arrests and actions that have left local communities on edge.While the scope of the sweeps and the number of arrests in Los Angeles appear to be down overall compared with last summer, daily immigration operations are being documented across the city, from street corners in Boyle Heights to downtown L.A.’s Fashion District.A spokesperson ...