Watching From Afar: ICE Raids & Resistance in L.A. – A Canadian Reflection

 🇨🇦 Watching From Afar: ICE Raids & Resistance in L.A. – A Canadian Reflection

By Tina Winterlik aka Zipolita
June 7, 2025

Yesterday, across the border in Los Angeles, something truly heartbreaking unfolded — and even from here in Canada, it felt impossible to look away.

Armed U.S. immigration agents (ICE) launched military-style raids throughout L.A., targeting homes, workplaces, and public spaces like Home Depot. By the end of the day, 44 people had been arrested — possibly more. Videos surfaced showing families screaming, people being tackled, and children crying as loved ones were dragged away. Many had committed no crimes other than existing in a system that treats them as invisible — or worse, disposable.

What made it more terrifying was how it echoed history. Communities rose up quickly in protest, gathering outside federal buildings and on the streets. Brave souls, including union leaders like SEIU California President David Huerta, stood in peaceful defiance. He was reportedly injured while being detained. The police responded with tear gas, flash bangs, and riot gear.

From where I sit — in so-called Canada — it’s clear we must document these moments. Silence is complicity. I am writing this because history is happening now, and if we don’t write it down, if we don’t speak out, it slips away into propaganda and forgetfulness.

We must remember:

• These raids don’t keep people safe — they create fear.
• These protests are not riots — they are acts of courage.
• These families are not criminals — they are human beings, many fleeing violence, poverty, and systems of inequality that our countries helped create.

Mayor Karen Bass condemned the raids, calling them disruptive and terrifying to community life. But federal agencies bulldozed on, exposing the cracks in the so-called sanctuary city promises. The LAPD said they weren’t involved, but they were there in full force once the protests began.

And here in Canada? Let’s not pretend we’re so different. We have our own systemic issues — from how Indigenous people are treated, to refugee housing crises, to deportations and family separations happening under the radar. We are not immune.

Let this be a wake-up call.

Let’s stand with those marching in L.A. — with the families torn apart, with the organizers risking arrest, with the youth carrying signs that scream: “Abolish ICE,” “No human is illegal,” and “We belong here.”

Let’s remember: the world is watching. And from across Turtle Island, we see you. We care. And we will not look away.

✊ In solidarity,
Tina Winterlik aka Zipolita
zipolita.com | #JusticeAcrossBorders #AbolishICE #StandWithLAA