In September, the United States Supreme Court paused a temporary restraining order intended to stop Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from terrorizing Los Angeles with roving patrols, giving ICE the green light to target people because of the color of their skin or the language they speak.
But even while the restraining order was in effect starting in July, ICE never stopped targeting day labor centers in Los Angeles. On August 8, masked men in tactical gear surrounded the Van Nuys Community Job Center, and pointed weapons at my coworkers and me. When I asked to see a warrant, I was met with cold stares and a Border Patrol agent wielding a teargas canister.
I am the executive director of the Instituto de Educación Popular del Sur de California (the Institute of Popular Education