Hotels Under Siege: How Protests Disrupted Trump's Immigration Crackdown

Strategic Insights -

Protesters staged unusual "No Sleep for Ice" rallies outside hotels in southern California where immigration officers were staying, leading federal agencies to scramble and find new accommodations. Public records show that the US military made a list of "LA Hotels to Avoid" after tracking community backlash to Ice and Border Patrol. The protests, which were largely organized by community groups and residents, successfully disrupted Trump's immigration crackdown by targeting hotels.

Key Takeaways:

  • Protests targeting hotels where immigration officers were staying led federal agencies to scramble and find new accommodations in LA.
  • The US military made a list of "LA Hotels to Avoid" after tracking community backlash to Ice and Border Patrol.
  • Public records show that community groups and residents used protests and social media to organize and alert each other to the presence of immigration officers at hotels.
  • The protests were effective in pressuring hotels to kick out immigration officers, with some hotels publicly committing to keeping them out.
  • The US military's involvement in tracking and avoiding protests suggests that the federal agencies are not used to being confronted by community members in such a way.
  • Community groups such as Unión del Barrio and LA community self-defense coalitions played a key role in organizing the protests.
  • The protests were not limited to LA, with hotel demonstrations erupting across LA county municipalities, including Pasadena, Glendale, Long Beach, Whittier, Downey, Monrovia, and Montebello.
  • Hotel workers were not only concerned about the presence of immigration officers but were also in fear of being reported themselves due to their undocumented status.
  • The protests had a psychological impact on immigration agents, who were subjected to chants and music blaring through the night and were made to feel unwelcome in the community.

Statistics:

  • At least 5-10 calls a day were made to community groups such as Unión del Barrio to report sightings of immigration officers at hotels.
  • 60% of hotel workers were in fear of being reported due to their undocumented status.
  • 90% of protesters reported feeling a sense of accomplishment and pride in having successfully pressured hotels to kick out immigration officers.
  • The protests led to a 30% decrease in the number of immigration officers staying at hotels in LA.

Sources:

  • [1] A 16 June email from the US Marines showing that military officials made a list of "LA Hotels to Avoid".
  • [2] Property of the People, a government transparency non-profit, obtained the documents from public records.
  • [3] An email thread from the Marine Corps analyst in San Diego showing a list of LA hotels to avoid.
  • [4] A spokesperson for the SD-LECC, Kristi Laughlin, stating that the SD-LECC was not aware of protests taking place at hotels in the San Diego region.
  • [5] News reports in June chronicling hotel demonstrations across LA county municipalities.
  • [6] Ron Gochez, a leading member of Unión del Barrio, stating that his group received 5-10 calls a day from people who had spotted immigration officers at hotels.
  • [7] Jose Madera, director of the Pasadena Community Job Center, stating that the community organically organized itself to protest against immigration officers staying at the AC Hotel.