Los Angeles will usher in a new mayor next month, but this weekend’s incident in Boyle Heights suggests confrontations with immigration agents will continue under the next administration.
After federal immigration officers were seen outside Adventist Health White Memorial Medical Center early Saturday, neighbors and elected officials, including LA Mayor-elect Nithya Raman, gathered outside the hospital and protested their presence.
Video from the scene showed confrontations between demonstrators and federal agents, while a teenage girl appeared to receive medical treatment after being pepper-sprayed.
Adventist Health White Memorial Medical Center confirmed that federal agents transported an individual in their custody to the facility. A hospital spokesperson said the individual was taken to the medical center’s emergency department for undisclosed reasons and that the agents blocked the entrance to the ER for two hours.
“The women who were initially pepper-sprayed; I was with them on the side of the hospital,” said Requel Roman, executive director of Proyecto Pastoral Atelores Mission and the Boyle Heights Immigrant Rights Network, adding that she went to the hospital after seeing social media videos.
“I think the amount of agents that is very intimidating to the community,” Roman said. “ICE was allowed to be in the emergency bay, but regular citizens were questioned about why we were accessing the hospital. And at that point, we were seeking medical attention for the other women who had been pepper-sprayed. It creates fear.”
Raman also said doctors should not be in a position to fend off ICE agents from the emergency room.
“It should really be embedded in the protocols of the hospital where if ICE drops somebody off or takes somebody there’s security there that says, ‘OK, you stop here, and you don’t come in any further.'”
NBC Los Angeles reached out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to ask about the detainee’s or detainees’ initial arrest, the extent of their injuries and whether they were hurt during the course of the arrest.
DHS did not answer the questions but declined to disclose or discuss law enforcement operations “for operational security and the safety of (its) officers.”
The department, however, posted pictures of the detainees on social media, saying they are from Honduras and were taken into custody after local authorities declined to honor an ICE detainer.
The incident prompted strong reactions from local officials. Raman joined the protesters near the hospital Sunday, calling for accountability.
“What happened last night at this hospital was an affront to the wishes of the American people and the people of LA,” Raman said.
Outgoing Mayor Karen Bass released a statement condemning the agents’ actions in blocking the entrance to the emergency department.
“A hospital should be the one place where people feel safe. No one should have to think twice about receiving care or fear that a loved one’s treatment could be interrupted because of their immigration status,” Bass said. “All of Los Angeles stands with Boyle Heights, and we will use every lawful tool available to protect the community. Because in Los Angeles, we stand together, and we fight.”
Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, whose district includes Boyle Heights, also called on the hospital to disclose any agreements it may have with ICE.
Adventist Health White Memorial Medical Center said it does not participate in immigration enforcement and won’t allow immigration enforcement activities to compromise its community, patient care and safety.
DHS and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said two U.S. citizens at the protest were arrested for assaulting an officer without providing details about the arrests.
NBCLA reached out to the LA County EMS Agency to see if there is any protocol for situations like Saturday’s, when ambulances are diverted from the hospital, and whether they could put any patients in danger.
The latest immigration incident in Boyle Heights came as Pres. Donald Trump defended his administration’s deportation policy and said he was opposed to any immigration deal that would include “amnesty” for immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.
The comments from Trump came after Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin earlier Monday also said that while he has been fielding calls from Democrats interested in working on immigration policy, he was adamantly opposed to any deal that would include amnesty.
“There won’t be amnesty,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “Somebody suggested, will there be amnesty? No, but — they came in. They knew the law.”
The midterm elections highlighted voters’ disaffection toward the administration’s hard-line immigration enforcement activities. But the comments from both Trump and Mullin reflected the mixed messaging from the administration in the aftermath of the election and emphasized how complicated it will be for a new Congress controlled by Democrats to find any common ground when it comes to the issue of immigration.
Trump defended his administration’s deportation policy as “very strong.” Asked if he had spoken with Stephen Miller, his newly promoted chief of staff who was the architect of his immigration crackdown, about immigration changes, Trump said no.
Rebecca Santana from the Associated Press contributed to this report.