ICE agents stage from LA County parking lot despite 'free zone' rules

For 45 days, agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have operated out of the public parking lot at Belvedere Park in East Los Angeles. The lot sits adjacent to the East Los Angeles Sheriff's Department station. Community groups allege the department allows ICE to use the space as a staging area for arrests, a practice they say violates local county policy.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance in January designating the area an ICE Free Zone. Under Board Policy 3.175, known as the Sensitive Locations Policy, the county restricts the enforcement of civil immigration laws on properties it owns, leases, or controls. The policy prohibits federal agents from using county property as a base of operations or a deployment point for immigration enforcement activities.

Activists from the Boyle Heights Community Service Organization, or CSO Centro, have documented five detentions at Belvedere Park. Videos circulated on social media show agents stopping people near the park between 4801 and 4837. One widely shared clip from October 8 captured agents in ICE vests detaining a person near the intersection of Mednik and Third streets around 10:20 a.m.

Anthony, an activist in East Los Angeles, stated that someone inside the sheriff's office is granting permission for ICE to park on county property. He noted that the individual knows they are violating the county's ICE Free Zone ordinance. The CSO Centro argued that without community control over the police, residents lack the authority to direct Sheriff Robert Luna to stop the collaboration.

Protesters marched from the Belvedere Park amphitheater to the ELALASD offices. They shouted at officers stationed in the same lot where ICE agents operate. Verita Topete, a protestor, said community members are being dragged across the grass and detained while waiting for buses or eating at picnic tables. She criticized the state and city for failing to act as a sanctuary.

During the demonstration, protesters tore through yellow plastic tape that marked the area as restricted. Some struck the glass doors of the sheriff's office. Sheriff's patrol cars moved to secure the building. No arrests were made, and no officers were attacked. Organizers advised residents to report suspected immigration activity to the Boyle Heights Rapid Response Network at 323-805-1049.

Hilda L. Solis, president of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and supervisor for the First District, expressed serious concern over the reports. As a co-author of the ICE Free Zones motion, Solis said she requested the County Counsel ensure full implementation of the policy. She emphasized that many affected individuals are U.S. citizens and urged residents to document encounters and report suspicious activity to the Los Angeles Rapid Response Network at 888-624-4752.

Sheriff Robert Luna responded to questions about the presence of ICE in the parking lot. He stated that the East Los Angeles station staff did not participate in federal immigration enforcement. Luna said ICE agents did not notify the station before detaining two people in Belvedere Park. He noted that the public parking lot adjacent to Third Street lacks specific signage regarding civil immigration law enforcement.

Luna explained that the Sensitive Locations Policy applies to county facilities. Because the Belvedere Park lot lacks the required signage, he argued it does not meet the specific criteria for a sensitive location under the policy. The sheriff stated that county staff cannot obstruct federal agents performing their duties. He concluded that the department's primary responsibility is the safety of all community members, regardless of immigration status.