Immigration raids continued to roil Southern California Thursday, with the latest actions targeting Home Depot stores in the Hollywood and San Fernando areas and a car wash in Glendale — plus a brief and confusing federal presence outside Dodger Stadium that drew a crowd of protesters and later a denial by ICE that its agents were, in fact, those at the ballpark.
A federal appeals court panel issued a unanimous ruling Thursday night to allow President Donald Trump’s control of California National Guard troops in Los Angeles to continue uninterrupted while the case is litigated despite the protests of Gov. Gavin Newsom.
It was not immediately clear how many people were rounded up Thursday at raids that were reported at a Home Depot at 5600 Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood and another at 12960 Foothill Blvd. in San Fernando.
ICE agents reportedly were also spotted outside Dodger Stadium — but that apparently was not the case.
According to a Dodger statement posted on X, “This morning, ICE agents came to Dodger Stadium and requested permission to access the parking lots. They were denied entry to the grounds by the organization. Tonight’s game will be played as scheduled.”
But apparently the team mistook the affiliation of the federal authorities who showed up in what was reported to be three unmarked vehicles, possibly in an effort to use the ballpark’s parking lot as a staging area.
Later, ICE posted a reply on X to the Dodger post, saying, “False. We were never there.”
And subsequently, the U.S. Homeland Security department posted on X that its agents, not ICE agents, were at the ballpark.
“This had nothing to do with the Dodgers,” the Homeland Security post said. “CBP (Customs and Border Patrol) vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement.”
After the confusing events at the Stadium were shown on social media, a crowd began growing at a gate to the stadium parking lot, and Los Angeles Police Department officers eventually responded to the scene. The protesters reportedly chanted at the federal agents, but no incidents were reported.
The unmarked vehicles reportedly departed after about an hour.
The events in Chavez Ravine came on the same day the Dodgers had been expected to announce team efforts to assist the immigrant community — following growing criticism for perceived silence from a team that boasts a large Latino fan base.
However, the Dodgers’ planned announcement was delayed “because of the events earlier today,” team President Stan Kasten said in a statement released Thursday night.
“We continue to work with groups that were involved with our programs, but we are going to have to delay today’s announcement while we firm up some more details,” Kasten said. “We’ll get back to you soon with the timing.”
Meanwhile, in Glendale, ICE agents also raided the Glendale Classic Carwash in the 700 block of East Colorado Street, one of several sites in Glendale that have seen sweeps in recent days.
A witness told a reporter at the scene that she spoke with the manager of the business who said he did not consent to agents coming on the property — and that when he asked for a warrant, was told one was not needed.
According to one report, two workers were hauled off and one was later returned to the car wash.
The appellate court ruling follows a hearing Tuesday in which a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco appeared dubious of Newsom’s argument that Trump had failed to sufficiently justify his decision to federalize and deploy 4,000 National Guard members and 700 U.S. Marines to protect federal buildings and support immigration authorities in Los Angeles.
The panel found that Trump acted within the law when he called the troops into federal service for 60 days “to protect federal personnel performing federal functions and to protect federal property.” However, the court disagreed with the Trump administration’s primary argument that the president’s decision to federalize members of the California National Guard is insulated from judicial review.
In a Facebook post, Newsom seized on the part of the ruling that rejected Trump’s argument that the president’s decision is protected from court oversight.
“Donald Trump is not a king and not above the law,” the governor posted. “Tonight, the court rightly rejected Trump’s claim that he can do whatever he wants with the National Guard and not have to explain himself to a court. We will not let this authoritarian use of military soldiers against citizens go unchecked.”
Attorney General Rob Bonta called it “disappointing that our temporary restraining order has been stayed pending the federal government’s appeal,” but added “this case is far from over.”
“The Trump administration far overreached its authority with its unprecedented and unlawful federalization of the California National Guard and deployment of military troops into our communities,” Bonta said in a statement. “As senior military leaders serving in administrations from JFK to Obama have affirmed, the use of the military on U.S. soil should be `rare, serious, and legally clear.’
“That is not the case in Los Angeles where our state and local law enforcement officers responded effectively to isolated episodes of violence at otherwise peaceful protests and the president deliberately sought to create the very chaos and crises he claimed to be addressing. While the court did not provide immediate relief for Angelenos today, we remain confident in our arguments and will continue the fight.”
In granting Trump’s emergency motion for a stay pending appeal, the appellate court concluded that it is likely that Trump lawfully exercised his authority to federalize the National Guard when the president “is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States.”
In other words, the panel found in favor of Trump’s argument that the civil unrest in downtown Los Angeles rose to such a level that local law enforcement was unable to protect federal immigration officers while they were carrying out government-ordered arrests and raids, and military deployment was necessary.
The court said the decision ultimately stems from June 6, when a group of protesters tried to prevent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials from operating in Los Angeles by throwing objects at ICE vehicles. Later that evening, protesters gathered at ICE’s enforcement and removal operations building downtown.