FBI arrests nine anti-ICE activists responsible for political violence over summer

The FBI on Wednesday morning arrested nine anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activists who were allegedly responsible for political violence at riots in Los Angeles over the summer.

President Donald Trump in June had to send the California National Guard into the state's largest city to help quell the unrest, which was triggered by the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration and mass deportation efforts.

One of the protesters that was arrested in the early morning raid allegedly damaged a vehicle belonging to immigration agents during a marijuana farm raid near Los Angeles, according to Fox News.

"I want to be very clear. Every American has a right to peacefully protest," Bill Essayli, the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, said during a news conference. "What is not constitutionally protected is a right to engage in violence, or to impede federal agents by assaulting or doxing or obstructing their operations."

Among the nine people charged were two members of VC Defensa, an organization that allegedly operates and manages a rapid response network to impede immigration agents. 

Several of the people were arrested for impeding federal law enforcement officers by blocking their vehicles and smashing windows, while another suspect allegedly injured a federal contract employee when smashing the employee's window.

"The FBI today arrested nine violent agitators in Los Angeles for their roles in a June protest where law enforcement officers were trapped under a bridge and attacked with Molotov cocktails," FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post on X. "Violence against law enforcement will never be tolerated. 

"This FBI stands shoulder to shoulder with the men and women who wear the badge—we will always defend those who defend America," he continued. "Violence against law enforcement ends here."

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.