Federal prosecutors have charged 97 people in the southern half of California with interfering with federal officers and agents since June 6 — when large-scale immigration raids began taking place, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, Oct. 29.
The figure is expected to increase, Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said, as more evidence is rounded up regarding additional alleged wrongdoing from over the summer months.
“Not only are these actions dangerous, they’re also ineffective,” he said. “We have not, and we will not, stop our immigration enforcement operations. Nothing will stop us.”
At least one of those arrested was tied to June 6, when dozens of armed federal immigration agents dressed in military fatigues swarmed the Ambiance Apparel clothing factory in downtown Los Angeles.
Armored military vehicles lined the street as protesters voiced their anger at the immigration raid unfolding just beyond the property’s black metal gates. Men were loaded into white vans. Agents deployed chemical weapons against the protesters and threw stun grenades at the street as they attempted to leave.
A 22-year-old from Boyle Heights is accused of pepper spraying into a vehicle holding three FBI SWAT members, with two suffering from a “burning sensation as their faces turned orange,” a Department of Justice statement said.
If convicted as charged, he faces up to eight years in prison.
Two days later, thousands of people gathered in downtown Los Angeles again, this time near the Metropolitan Detention Center, where some waved Mexican flags, held protest signs, and yelled at law enforcement officers. A Waymo taxi was set ablaze.
Protesters walked onto the 101 Freeway, blocking all lanes in at least one direction, federal officials said, with the California Highway Patrol responding. Officers forced the protesters off of the freeway, and remained to keep the lanes clear.
“Individual protesters began throwing rocks, electric scooters, street signs, and various other objects at the CHP officers below (overpasses),” the statement said. “At one point, a protester poured a clear yellow liquid onto a CHP car that was ablaze, after which the flames immediately grew in size.”
Nine of the defendants face allegations from that protest. If convicted as charged, they could face up to five years in prison.
The charges are those made by the Central District of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which covers Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Luis Obispo counties.
Of the 97 charged to date, 18 have pleaded guilty and 44 are set to go to trial.
