Tensions high as immigration sweeps reach Downey churches
Protesters gather outside Embassy Suites to oppose the continued ICE activity and arrests in Downey on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (Photo by Vince Medina)
DOWNEY — Protests broke out at the Embassy Suites hotel in Downey last week after federal immigration authorities conducted enforcement activity in the city.
The acitivity was the agency’s second time performing operations in Downey within a week.
This comes as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continue immigration raids in Los Angeles, which have sparked widespread protests. Agency operations were also conducted in Los Angeles County cities such as Whittier, Pico Rivera and Paramount, according to City News Service.
ICE has not publicly released details about the reported operations. However, social media posts alleged that federal agents were seen arresting workers at the Home Depot (7121 Firestone Blvd) and at the Walmart in the Downey Promenade (9001 Apollo Way).
It was confirmed by witnesses that ICE officers took people into custody at two Downey churches, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church at 10727 Downey Ave. and Downey Memorial Christian Church at 8441 Florence Ave.
Immigration authorities also arrested two people who work at Galaxy Auto Detail at 11400 Paramount Blvd. The business was also inspected by ICE agents on Saturday.
The son of Galaxy Auto Detail owner, Jose M., said the officers began questioning workers and customers waiting for service during the morning on June 4. He showed security camera footage of the officials wearing military-style vests, plain clothes and face coverings, handcuffing the employees and looking through their belongings.
Footage of the arrest showed a large white van approaching the officers after the employees were in handcuffs. The officers placed the two staff members inside the car and it drove away.
“I don’t even think they explained (his rights) to him,” said Jose. “You could see they were just looking through his wallet. The woman here on the left, she was making sure they didn’t say anything.”
Jose showed footage of a woman standing a few paces away from the officers, trying to communicate with them and the employees. Jose said she was trying to inform the business employees of their rights to remain silent to a lawyer and their right to due process.
He said the woman left after she heard about someone being taken into custody at a church in Downey.
Photos were taken outside Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, showing ICE officers in a white van outside the church taking someone into custody.
Less than one mile away, ICE officers arrested a man at Downey Memorial Christian Church and allegedly threatened the lead pastors of the congregation.
Senior pastor at DMCC, Tanya Lopez, was in her office when the administrative pastor, Al Lopez, came in and told her ICE officers were arresting someone who was sitting in the church parking lot.
Tanya and Al Lopez are married.
“We started confronting (the officers), asking them to identify themselves, they refused to,” said Al Lopez. “They kept asking us to step back and telling us that we couldn’t be there. We said, ‘We don’t want this on our property.’ This officer shouted back, ‘The whole country is our property.’”
Tanya Lopez was able to take video of the altercation and photographs of the officer’s out-of-state license plates, which were from New Mexico and Texas.
She tried to communicate with the person the officers were arresting in an attempt to get his name and date of birth to find him if he was taken into custody. Tanya Lopez said she shouted his rights to him while he was taken into custody.
“(The officers) then kept using their bodies to try to get us to step back,” said Tanya Lopez. “They had their rifles and they kept gesturing to them. At one point, when I decided to keep going closer to the vehicles so that the man could hear me saying, ‘Don’t answer any questions. Do not sign anything,’ they pointed their rifle at me, and they said, ‘You need to get back.’”
Out of fear for her safety, she took a few steps back. Tanya Lopez said the officers refused to identify themselves and wore plain clothes with their faces covered and military-style vests with the “Police” sewn on. She told them to identify themselves because anybody could purchase the vests online, but she said the officers laughed at her.
“They had no warrant and they chose to not show any documentation,” said Tanya Lopez.” I want to emphasize, I am a mother, a first generation daughter of immigrants myself, and so this is not just an immigrant issue. Who knows if this man was a citizen? They were not letting him answer any question or provide any identification. They surrounded him and started to get ready to arrest him, which is why I could not stand idly by.”
Community response to ICE activity
Community members began protesting outside Downey city hall later in the afternoon. The demonstration quickly grew from a dozen people into over a hundred supporters of immigration rights.
No single organization took credit for the protest. It was alleged by a demonstrator to the immigration supporters that ICE officials were staying at the Embassy Suites hotel down the street at 8425 Firestone Blvd. Soon after, the protesters moved the demonstration to the sidewalk in front of the hotel.
Although the allegation that ICE officers were staying at the Embassy Suites was not confirmed, government vehicles and cars with license plates from New Mexico and Arizona were parked in front of the hotel.
The protest continued into the late hours of the night as some protesters drove up and down Firestone Boulevard in their cars, honking their horns between Dolan Avenue and Brookshire Avenue in front of the hotel.
A statement was released by Downey mayor, Hector Sosa, on Instagram.
“The City of Downey is aware of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity that took place in our community today,” wrote Sosa. “I understand that such actions may cause concern among residents.
The Downey Police Department is not assisting or collaborating with ICE in these operations per State Law, the California Values Act/SB 54. The dedicated men and women of the Downey Police Department remain focused on maintaining the safety and well-being of our community. If any illegal or unsafe activity occurs during civil immigration enforcement operations, the department is prepared to respond as it would with any matter impacting community safety.
“I understand this is a challenging time in our community, creating some uncertainty and concern. I encourage residents to stay informed, remain calm, and seek information from verified and trusted sources.”
Councilmember Mario Trujillo also spoke about the situation at a press conference with Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass.
“(Immigration officers) are creating havoc and fear,” said Trujillo. “This is not the way to provide public safety to the community. We’re calling on the (Trump) administration to change course and do their job correctly.”
Downey resident and lawyer, Jonathan Vallejo, emphasized the importance of community members knowing their rights when they are questioned by law enforcement or immigration officers.
“Whether you’re here and documented or not, you still have constitutional rights,” said Vallejo. “It is a violation of the Fourth Amendment to just arrest folks because of their race or because they’re standing outside a Home Depot or because they work at a car wash. ICE is not allowed to commit warrantless arrests without any reasonable suspicion. From what I’ve been seeing, a lot of the current arrests, especially in Los Angeles and Downey, have been without reasonable suspicion.
“(ICE officers) don’t know who these folks are, they don’t have any articulable fact to show that they believe that they’re here undocumented. They’re just picking them up indiscriminately.”
Cancellations
Several events have been cancelled due to the ongoing immigration raids.
The opening concert to Downey’s concerts in the park series at Furman Park was cancelled Wednesday.
The Downey Police Department also cancelled a scheduled DUI checkpoint set for Thursday night, and is rescheduling a mandated public meeting regarding its military equipment.
The Downey Sister Cities Association cancelled a July 3 mixer event it had planned at the Columbia Memorial Space Center.