[Source/Observer Network Qi Qian] The large-scale protests in Los Angeles continued, and the contradictions between the Trump administration, the California government, and immigrants kept escalating.
In the face of intensifying conflicts, on June 9, The Wall Street Journal reported that this chaos was related to a meeting held by the White House.
In late May, Stephen Miller, the White House homeland security advisor and the architect of immigration policies, expressed strong dissatisfaction with the work of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) during a meeting at the ICE headquarters and urged the agency to increase its efforts.
Stephen Miller, media material photo
According to insiders, gang members and violent criminals were not the only targets of the Trump administration. Miller told senior ICE officials from across the United States that federal agents needed to "go out directly and arrest illegal immigrants." He also said that agents did not need to follow target lists strictly; they should be more flexible and could wait for temporary workers at chain stores like Home Depot or 7-Eleven.
Miller bet at the meeting that he and several agents could immediately go to the streets of Washington D.C. and arrest 30 people. He then asked, "Who here thinks they can do it?" and requested the ICE officials present to raise their hands for a vote.
Reportedly, ICE agents under performance pressure followed Miller's instructions and began searching around convenience stores and supermarkets across the country. To improve efficiency, they even waited outside courthouses to arrest undocumented immigrants applying for legal residency. As a result, a large number of immigrants across the U.S. were arrested without notice and disappeared into the federal detention system without informing their families or lawyers.
"Those who don't meet KPIs will pack up and leave."
On local time July 7, ICE agents conducted an immigration sweep at a supermarket in a Latino community in Los Angeles, becoming the spark that ignited the protest activities.
Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Trump ignored Governor Newsom of California's opposition and announced the deployment of 2,000 National Guardsmen to Los Angeles.
According to media reports and on-site footage, tensions escalated between law enforcement officers and protesters, with continuous physical confrontations. Law enforcement used tear gas, rubber bullets, and flashbangs to disperse the protest crowds. Protesters threw branches, motorcycles, fireworks, and debris from highway overpasses onto the police cars below. There were images showing that some protesters even set fire to the police cars.
Protests in Los Angeles continue, with tensions escalating between law enforcement officers and protesters Video screenshot
Muzaffar Chishti, a researcher at the Migration Policy Institute, stated that the Trump administration's use of "militarized methods" in Los Angeles was intended to create a tense atmosphere, making people feel that deportation actions were underway. He said: "The actual number of deportations is negligible compared to what was imagined."
However, according to ICE officials, since Miller met with ICE officials, the number of arrests has been increasing daily.
Insiders said that Miller did not issue written instructions but merely informed officials to "do what you need to do" and arrest more people.
ICE has stopped regularly publishing arrest data and has been questioned about exaggerating numbers. During the first 100 days of the Trump administration, approximately 66,500 immigrants residing illegally in the U.S. were arrested and nearly 66,000 were deported. The speed of arrests accelerated compared to 2024, while the speed of deportations slowed slightly. Several agents and officials told The Wall Street Journal that ICE's actions received too much attention, causing immigrants to become more cautious.
It was reported that officials at the White House and the Department of Homeland Security have clearly indicated that ICE agents who fail to meet arrest targets will face consequences.
Earlier this year, ICE officials set daily arrest quotas. It was reported that the Department of Homeland Security had dismissed one acting director of ICE and threatened to appoint a second. An insider revealed that Kenneth Giannola, the highest-ranking ICE official responsible for overseeing arrests and deportations, chose to resign last month rather than dismiss underperforming agents.
Mass arrests of immigrants, "then disappear without a trace"
According to lawyers, immigration advocates, and former government officials, the current administration's immigration enforcement measures are markedly different from those of previous administrations.
It was reported that federal agents could make arrests without identifying themselves. At least a dozen cities across the country saw undercover agents arresting immigrants attending hearings to obtain legal status. These immigrants disappeared into the federal detention system without notifying their families or lawyers.
A Dominican man and an activist were arrested by ICE after an immigration hearing Media
For example, in Coral Springs, Florida, at least eight fully armed ICE agents surrounded a house, holding shields and rifles, and arrested a father with no criminal record. In Irvine, California, a convoy of military vehicles was used by ICE agents to arrest an illegal immigrant in the Orange County suburbs and search for the son of a local resident reportedly "posting flyers reminding neighbors to watch out for ICE".
This series of raid operations drew criticism from American citizen organizations. The "Foundation for Individual Rights and Free Speech" demanded copies of search warrants from ICE and emphasized that "criticism of government officials is protected speech," calling on the public to "criticize them; you have every right to identify them."
In response, Tom Homan, the White House's "border czar," argued that due to threats, ICE officers had to wear protective gear and conceal their faces for self-protection. A White House spokesperson also stated: "The administration takes seriously fulfilling Trump's promise to deport illegal immigrants."
According to Department of Homeland Security officials and lawyers, arresting illegal immigrants at hearings has become a nationwide strategy. This helps ICE improve efficiency and increase KPIs. However, it also puts immigrants in a dilemma: should they risk arrest and follow legal procedures to attend immigration hearings?
Maxim Zaitsev, a 36-year-old Russian citizen, claimed that he was arrested while registering for immigration at an ICE office and was beaten for calling his wife. Photos in court documents showed bruises and scabs on Zaitsev's face. Zaitsev was also charged for biting an officer in self-defense, but a federal judge dismissed the charges against ICE due to government misconduct.
"At that moment, I felt like I was being tossed around in a washing machine," Zaitsev said in an interview at a detention center. "We came to the U.S. seeking protection because of what we experienced in Russia. But now, it seems that the things we wanted to escape in Russia are happening again here in the U.S."
Videos shared on social media showed several plainclothes men arresting multiple people at a courthouse in Albemarle County, Virginia, without identifying themselves or their affiliation. In a statement, ICE said that these arrests were legitimate actions, and any bystanders attempting to interfere would be prosecuted.
James Singletary, the federal prosecutor for Albemarle County, immediately launched an investigation. He pointed out that such arrest actions pose a threat not only to detainees but also to bystanders. "If you act like a street gang, you'll bring danger to yourself and the public."
This article is an exclusive contribution from Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7514595336397849098/
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