Pinoys urged to stay safe as immigration protests rock Los Angeles
The Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles, California, on Monday urged Filipinos in the area to remain vigilant after US President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of 2,000 National Guard personnel against demonstrators protesting recent immigration raids.
In an advisory, the consulate called on the Filipino community to “exercise caution and vigilance in view of the ongoing immigration protests taking place in downtown Los Angeles.”
“They are advised to avoid any crowd build-ups that may lead to disturbances,” it said.
A Filipino national was among at least 11 immigrants who were arrested in raids conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed on Sunday the apprehension of Rolando Veneracion-Enriquez, a 55-year-old undocumented immigrant from the Philippines.
“His criminal history includes burglary in Ontario, CA [Canada], with a sentence of four years in prison, sexual penetration with a foreign object with force and assault with intent to commit rape in Pomona, CA [California], with a sentence of 37 years in prison,” the DHS said in a news release posted on its website.
Veneracion-Enriquez was tagged as among the “worst of the worst illegal alien criminals” who were apprehended in Los Angeles during an ICE operation. He was arrested along with six Mexican nationals, one Vietnamese, one Ecuadorian, one Peruvian, and one individual from Honduras.
According to ICE, the individuals arrested have criminal records that include murder, grand theft larceny, willful cruelty to a child, sexual battery, and drug charges, among others.
The arrests have sparked protests in Los Angeles, prompting Trump to issue a presidential memorandum dated June 7. In the memorandum, he directed military personnel to “temporarily protect” ICE and other federal officials in locations where protests are ongoing or anticipated based on threat assessments and planned operations.
“The members and units of the National Guard called into Federal service shall be at least 2,000 National Guard personnel and the duration of duty shall be for 60 days or at the discretion of the Secretary of Defense,” Trump said.
To fulfill their mission, Trump added, the deployed military personnel “may perform those military protective activities that the Secretary of Defense determines are reasonably necessary to ensure the protection and safety of Federal personnel and property.”
