Los Angeles, CA -- As federal immigration agents ramp up militarized operations across Los Angeles, reports of brutality, disappearances, and community-wide fear have spread. Central American Resource Center Los Angeles (CARECEN-LA) is calling out the inhumane and unlawful actions of Federal Agents, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), denouncing what can only be described as a coordinated campaign of persecution, violence, and dehumanization.

“Let’s be clear, they are disappearing us,” said Martha Arevalo, Executive Director for CARECEN-LA. “One by one, Angelenos are being pulled from their homes, ripped from job sites, detained in front of their children while at school, or even while praying in church. No warning. No explanation. No justice.”

This isn’t immigration enforcement—it’s a direct assault on our communities and on the values this country claims to uphold. Over the past 20 days, Federal Agents have detained more than 500 people in the Los Angeles area. Families and attorneys have been unable to contact most of them. The right to due process is being routinely denied.

And the aggression does not stop with undocumented immigrants. Citizens and legal residents report being stopped, interrogated, and even tackled based solely on the color of their skin. The terror inflicted by federal agents does not discriminate—it radiates outward, leaving entire neighborhoods in fear. Children are missing school. Businesses are closing early. Families are skipping medical appointments. This is not just about immigration. This is about human rights. This is about public safety. This is about the soul of our democracy.

While this administration gears up its police forces with fear tactics and violence, we are gearing up our communities with knowledge, power, and solidarity.

As part of LARRRN (Los Angeles Rapid Response Network) CARECEN-LA will be leading a bold, community-wide effort to protect and defend every Angeleno. In response to the chaos and terror, the network has launched a Rapid Response Hotline at (888) 624-4752 to support families during and after raids. 

CARECEN-LA will continue to host Know Your Rights training sessions, process DACA renewals, and move forward with citizenship applications—because our work does not stop.

“We will not be intimidated. We will not be silenced. We stand with our neighbors, our families, and our city. The time to act is now.”

We are calling on all Angelenos to stand together against the wave of brutality sweeping across our city. Our communities will not be erased. We will resist with resilience, and we will rise with hope.

###

CARECEN Day Labor Center has effortlessly connected thousands of workers to employers in the Los Angeles area. Our workers are registered and in good standing, membership to ensure that they are the right fit for you, with skills ranging from painting, construction, demolition, and gardening to just name a few. Our center actively works to improve our community by providing workers with skill development training, wage theft training, English classes, legal services, & much more.