LA protestors clash with authorities in tense anti-ICE demonstration

Protestors clashed with authorities outside federal buildings during an anti-ICE demonstration in Los Angeles on Friday, Jan. 30, in a scene that revealed not all protestors were going to be deterred by the deployment of chemical irritants or a dispersal order.

But earlier in the day, a different scene played out through the streets of Los Angeles. It began with a demonstration planned outside Los Angeles City Hall, where the USA TODAY Network spoke with “Hacks” star Meg Stalter and others who’d gathered for it.

Soon, it transformed into a march where hundreds upon hundreds of people walked through the streets of the city — the latest Southern California protest of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Protestors' signs also made it clear they were marching against President Donald Trump.

At the demonstration outside Los Angeles City Hall was “Hacks” star Meg Stalter, who told the USA TODAY Network that people are getting brutally attacked and pulled off our streets. It’s why strikes and protests are important, though she knew not everyone could make it out.

The L.A. demonstrations came as various organizations called for a “national shutdown” on Jan. 30, urging people to not attend school, work and skip out on shopping in the aftermath of the fatal shootings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, and continued federal immigration enforcement operations nationwide.

Two days prior, federal immigration enforcement operations reportedly hit Boyle Heights, prompting another anti-ICE protest that saw protestors briefly hold up an intersection in the Los Angeles neighborhood.

LA marcher says her mother faces deportation, and it'll affect her son

Along a stretch of Cesar E. Chavez Avenue in Los Angeles, a woman walked through the throng of marchers selling churros. On the same street were two street vendors cooking up hot dogs, a move that felt distinctly Los Angeles.

Cristal Lopez, 30, was out marching with her son on Friday, Jan. 30.

Lopez’s mother, Enedina Lopez, faces deportation, Lopez told the USA TODAY Network. Lopez said it's "devastating" and it has been greatly affecting her 60-year-old mother who has been in the U.S. nearly her whole life.

“She has a court date, and we went to lawyers and everything to see if we can get her not deported because she is the caregiver of my son,” Lopez said. “My son is autistic, and the most important thing for autistic children is routine and their loved ones there supporting, and grandma is one of the main persons — she’s pretty much mom to him.”

Lopez’s mother is really the main support system in helping her raise her son, she said.

“Why are we here trying to deport older ladies?” she said, talking about the impact this could have on her son. “And why are we not getting the people that are actually the problem?”

What happened at a Los Angeles protest on Friday, Jan. 30?

Protestors and federal agents clashed near the Edward Roybal Federal Court Building and the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles. Thing escalated at a loading dock, with many pressing into the vehicle entryway despite two warnings from authorities to leave the federally controlled area.

What followed was back-and-forth efforts between protestors and federal agents to force the opposite party to retreat. During the clash, protestors threw water bottles and blocked the garage area in the loading dock with a dumpster as some form of chemical irritant was repeatedly deployed.

Just before 6 p.m., LAPD issued a dispersal order for a stretch of Alameda Street, including the area near the federal buildings, and soon authorities moved in to push a large crowd of protestors back past the intersection of Temple and Alameda streets in downtown Los Angeles.

By around 6:30 p.m., more Los Angeles Police Department vehicles arrived at the intersection, which had grown somewhat quieter with less protestors — and likely, the presence of authorities.

But by 7 p.m. protestors hadn’t fully dispersed in the wider area, with people still gathered near Alameda and Commercial streets amid authorities’ presence.

Paris Barraza is a reporter covering Los Angeles and Southern California for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected].

(This story was updated to add a video.)