From the Ground: Stories from Los Angeles

by Jacob Rueda

Los Angeles is one of many cities in the United States where agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are conducting raids looking for undocumented immigrants.

Ralph Guerrero is a laser technician who drives throughout Southern California or work. Lately, though, his routine has been interrupted by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids that have taken place in Los Angeles since June 6.

As he goes about his day, he has to take extra precautions just so he can make it to work in one piece.

 “Now, I have to carry two or three forms of ID to make these people see that, ‘Oh yeah, he is an American,’” he says. Guerrero is not undocumented. He is a U.S. citizen. But the current climate is unfriendly to individuals with certain appearances.

The ICE raids that began in Los Angeles in early June have impacted immigrant communities and beyond. Daily life has been disrupted to where going out and doing something simple like shopping could alter the course of life forever. It's not just residents who are feeling the impact; local businesses that rely on them to stay open are also affected.

 “Fear is keeping people from shopping, from going out,” said Jairo Parra, a local resident who runs the TikTok and Instagram channel Small Guy on Main Street, “and if they do go out, they just go for necessities, what’s extremely necessary for them to go on that day or that week.”

Through interviews with shopkeepers in areas like Huntington Park and Bell, Parra hears firsthand how small business owners link the drop in foot traffic to the raids—pointing to empty aisles, shortened hours, and unease that stretches beyond legal status.

With everything that’s been happening, Guerrero’s message resounds: “Not everybody who comes here [to the U.S.] is a criminal. They just want a fair opportunity.” His words cut through the chaos, describing the most basic thing any person wants: the chance to live without fear.

Watch the mini-documentary "From the Ground: Stories from Los Angeles."