Los Angeles, CA – On Thursday, January 29, Centro CSO held a press conference at Mariachi Plaza denouncing the ICE raids that had happened the day before. On the morning of January 28, ICE agents assaulted and kidnapped at least six people in Boyle Heights, including fruit and flower vendors, and residents of Ramona Gardens.

Centro CSO and the Boyle Heights Immigrant Rights Network (BHIRN) responded immediately on the scene, recording and confronting the ICE agents. Members from CSO and the BHIRN helped to alert the neighborhood that ICE was nearby and informed neighbors of their rights. They also tabled outside nearby schools at the end of the school day to help young children get home safely, as many of their parents feared their commute home.

“We all can play a key role in these moments of crisis, when our communities are being terrorized, when our communities are being hijacked by a man that just simply wants to run the country as his own business,” said Enrique Velasquez of the BHIRN at the press conference.

The BHIRN responds to immigration raids in Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles by bringing together leaders in the community to fight for immigrant rights. They run a hotline that responds to calls about suspected ICE activity, send volunteers to verify ICE activity, get contact info for the person being detained, and offer legal support to their families.

Sam Carrera, a Teamster sanitation worker, spoke about how the January 28 kidnappings are a clear example of how ICE is not deporting criminals and murderers like they claim to be, but they are kidnapping regular working people. “These are our neighbors. This could have been my father; this could have been an uncle of mine. These are our fathers, these are our uncles, our aunts,” said Carrera.

Speakers at the press conference talked about how important it has been for the community to stand up and fight back against ICE. Through its immigration committee, Centro CSO has been at the forefront of the struggle against ICE in Los Angeles, with their own members having responded to many ICE kidnappings since the beginning of Trump’s second term. They held an Emergency Summit Against Deportations in March of 2025 where they helped prepare organizations from across the country, including organizations from Minneapolis and Chicago, to respond to ICE raids.

Gabriel Quiroz Jr. spoke at the press conference on behalf of Centro CSO’s police brutality committee, “I want to speak on the resilience of the people of Boyle Heights. We saw heroes, like Verita Topete, confront border patrol agents who were kidnapping a beloved flower vendor. We saw neighbors come out to defend their neighbor. We saw the BHIRN jump into action and respond all across the Eastside. We saw local business owners and workers chase migra out. We saw workers shut the doors on migra as our raza ran to safety. We saw people straight up chase migra out of Boyle Heights!”

From Minneapolis to Los Angeles, people are fighting back against ICE and taking matters into their own hands to stop Trump’s racist deportations. “The only reason we survive this violence is because we protect each other,” said Verita Topete from Centro CSO’s immigration committee.

#LosAngelesCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #ICE #CentroCSO #BHIRN

Los Angeles, CA – At 8:52 a.m. on Tuesday, October 21, Homeland Security Investigators (HSI) agents and other federal agents targeted and shot TikTok influencer Carlos Ricardo Parias, who uses the handle “RichardLA18” on TikTok.

Parias, 44, from South Los Angeles, has documented ICE raids in Los Angeles and was doing so when he was shot. In addition to being shot, Parias has previously experienced ICE abuse. This summer, he was severely beaten by agents for filming and reporting on their raids.

The morning of October 21, ICE agents were seen at the front doors of Santee Education Complex, a high school in South Central LA. Parias was specifically identified and corralled by vehicles with dark-tinted windows and masked agents. His car was shot with teargas and other chemical agents. Parias himself was then shot with live ammunition.

“What happened today is not an isolated incident – it’s part of a larger pattern of ICE targeting those who empower our communities,” said Claudia Mancia of Proyecto Pastoral. “The Boyle Heights Immigrant Rights Network condemns this act of retaliation against a community member who has courageously helped others prepare for and document these attacks. We demand an immediate investigation and stand in unwavering solidarity with all who continue to resist fear with action.”

ICE violence didn’t spare the feds. A U.S. Marshal was also shot by their own partner. Parias and the agent were sent to the hospital by HSI agents. The feds are boldly lying that Parias used his own car as a weapon by allegedly ramming his car into ICE, despite video footage showing the complete opposite.

Now U.S. attorney Bilal Essayli is charging Carlos Ricardo Parias with “assault on a federal officer.” Parias, who survived the shooting, is expected to make his initial appearance October 22, at the Roybal Federal Building in downtown L.A. If convicted, Parias would face up to eight years in federal prison. Essayali callously posted about this on Twitter/X. Meanwhile Parias’ attorney Carlos Jurado was denied access and not allowed to see him.

Officers from LAPD’s Newton Station were also on scene to collaborate and protect ICE, like they’ve done all summer long in Los Angeles. Newton Station is home to another deputy gang that call themselves “Shootin’ Newton.” This is due to their known and longstanding history of shooting of Black people and Raza. Some of their victims include Chicano Alex Flores.

“From the streets of South Los Angeles to the halls of White Memorial Hospital, ICE is waging war on our immigrant communities,” said Verita Topete, who leads the Centro CSO immigration committee. “And they’re doing it with help from the LAPD and corrupt institutions that should be protecting us. We’re here to say enough is enough. Our people deserve safety, dignity, and legalization for all.”

Plans for CSO are to continue fighting back for the undocumented, fighting to kick ICE out of California, and to win legalization for all. They are asking all to sign a petition demanding ICE out of White Memorial Hospital (located in Boyle Heights). To do so go here tinyurl.com/FueraICE

#LosAngelesCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #ICE #CentroCSO #BHIRN