Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcers ignite anger across US

The outskirts of Los Angeles vibrated with the discordant symphony of clanging metal pots and blaring air horns Thursday night as approximately 50 protesters staged a "No Sleep For ICE" demonstration outside a local hotel. 

The noisy bedtime protest, targeting US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, highlighted escalating public anger against an agency increasingly central to President Donald Trump's stringent migrant crackdown.

"They terrorise our community the entire day. Why do they get a good night's sleep?" said 23-year-old Nathanael Landaverde, who contributed to the cacophony by banging a dismantled frying pan.

The demonstration comes amid a backdrop of dramatic images depicting federal agents — often masked and sometimes armed with assault rifles — pursuing and apprehending migrants in various public spaces, from courthouses to farms and city streets. 

Reports have also surfaced of ICE officials detaining US citizens for allegedly interfering with arrests, including a mayoral candidate in New York earlier this week.

The heavy-handed approach has sparked fear among immigrants and infuriated many Americans, particularly in liberal cities such as Los Angeles, where large-scale street protests erupted this month over ICE raids.

"If they don't sleep they're not gonna do their job effectively. They're gonna get less people," added Landaverde, as passing vehicles honked in apparent support for the late-night rally.

It was not certain whether ICE agents were staying at the three-star hotel, but protest organisers claimed to have photo evidence.

Dozens of people danced to a deafening cacophony as they waved signs reading "No rest for ICE" and "ICE out of LA" towards the hotel, where some guests peered through the curtains.

One woman simply screamed into a megaphone. Another man wore earmuffs as he blasted distorted white noise through a speaker.

"They're ripping families apart, and it's horrifying to watch in my community. They can't sleep if they're gonna do that here," said Juliet Austin, 22, who was playing a small blue accordion.

'No Secret Police Act'

Trump was elected to a second term in large part for his promise to deport thousands of migrants.

But alongside their aggressive tactics, critics have denounced federal immigration agents for wearing face masks to hide their identities — a highly unusual but legal practice in US law enforcement.

"At what point will we as a nation find ourselves with a secret police?" Walter Olson, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute think tank, wrote last month.

"For the Trump administration, turning masked raids into standard practice fits into a wider effort to dodge accountability for potentially illegal and unconstitutional actions," he added.

In California, lawmakers have introduced the "No Secret Police Act" that would restrict federal agents from wearing masks.

Federal officials have rejected this criticism by claiming that agents wear masks to protect them from potential reprisals.

Meanwhile, ICE has frequently boasted about its activities and posted pictures of detained migrants on social media.

And it crucially still enjoys Trump's support, who last weekend praised ICE agents' "incredible strength, determination, and courage."

Still, anger over ICE looks unlikely to go away as long as immigration arrests continue, and protesters Thursday were adamant they would not back down.

"I think it's a modern Gestapo here in America," said Austin, a dance teacher.

"This city is not the one to mess with... We're not gonna let it happen. We're not tired," she added.