Immigration enforcement violence sparks concerns in South East LA

Organizers are calling for the community to stand in solidarity on Friday, January 23, after the immigration-related shooting in Willowbrook on Wednesday morning. 

Though the shooting did not injure anyone, federal immigration enforcement has become increasingly violent throughout the United States, including the operation in Willowbrook, an unincorporated area near Compton.

A traffic collision was reported at about 7:10 a.m. Wednesday in the area of Mona Boulevard and 126th Street, according to the California Highway Patrol. The area is a couple of blocks west of Alameda Street and several blocks south of the 105 Freeway.

Following the shooting, community members and organizers went to the area to record and protest the presence of federal immigration agents. 

Deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and CHP officers blocked off the shooting scene around a white sedan with front-end damage, a busted windshield and airbags deployed. All CHP officers left the scene by 8:30 a.m.

Appearing on Fox11, Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell, who represents the Willowbrook area, said it was fortunate nobody was injured by the shooting. 

“We’ve been clear: ICE does not belong in Los Angeles County,” Mitchell shared on Instagram. “It’s disgraceful that communities across this country are subjected to unchecked, dangerous force by their own federal government. We will not stay silent. People have the right to document what’s happening in their neighborhoods, and we will continue to stand up locally against these attacks.”

According to a Department of Homeland Security spokesman, DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a "targeted operation" around 7:05 a.m. to arrest an undocumented person from El Salvador who they allege has criminal charges. 

According to DHS, an immigration judge issued a final order of removal for William Eduardo Moran Carballo in 2019.

The DHS spokesman alleged Carballo “weaponized his vehicle” toward federal agents, and "fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired defensive shots.” DHS stated that a Customs and Border Protection officer was injured. A spokesman with the Los Angeles County Fire Department said he could find no record of firefighters or an ambulance being called to the scene.

"You should be concerned about your safety given the actions we've seen ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) taking across this country -- in many instances unprovoked, people merely standing by watching being shot and in one instance killed, in several instances killed, the murder very recently here of Mr. (Keith) Porter on New Year's Eve," Mitchell said. "So L.A. County residents are on edge."

Porter was fatally shot by an off-duty ICE agent in Northridge. Relatives said Porter was firing a weapon into the air to celebrate New Year's Eve when he was shot. 

Additional reporting by City News Service.