Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers conducted raids near religious sites in Downey, California, this week, drawing sharp criticism from civic leaders and pastors.
ICE agents detained individuals near Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church and on the grounds of Downey Memorial Christian Church, according to city councilmember Mario Trujillo, NBC Los Angeles reported.
One man was detained on the public sidewalk while dropping off his granddaughter at Our Lady of Perpetual Help’s school.
In response to public concern, a statement from the church clarified, “This matter took place on the public sidewalk and did not happen on church grounds, nor did it involve our school, parishioners, or staff.”
According to NBC, the church added a request to “please continue to pray for peace and unity in our community and surrounding areas.”
At Downey Memorial Christian Church, Pastor Alfredo Lopez told NBC that he witnessed ICE officers surround a man just outside the church’s parking lot. Lopez, along with Senior Pastor Tanya Lopez and other community members, confronted the agents and asked them to leave the property.
According to Lopez, the officers refused to identify themselves and ignored their demand to leave. When church leaders asked the officers to leave their property, one of them responded that “the whole country is their property,’” Lopez said.
“When someone tells that to you with a weapon in their hands and [on] their body, that was a very clear message,” Lopez added.
The raids come in the midst of violent anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles, in which demonstrators have clashed with ICE agents and torched American flags.
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