A man who witnessed an immigration raid at a junkyard in Montebello, Calif., on June 12, recounted what he saw.
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Zaydee Sanchez for NPR
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Topline:
Immigration agents are raiding known hubs for Latino workers: day laborer gathering spots, street vendor corners and car washes. Legal advocacy groups say their tactics are unconstitutional.
Why it matters: Immigrant advocates and civil rights lawyers say evidence is mounting that immigration agents carrying out the Trump administration's deportation crackdown in southern California are engaging in widespread racial profiling.
What's next: The American Civil Liberties Union and other legal groups this week filed a federal class action lawsuit alleging that immigration agents roving the streets are targeting people based on the color of their skin or their apparent occupation. They want a judge to declare the raids unconstitutional.
Emma de Paz was selling breakfast to day laborers outside a Los Angeles Home Depot on June 19 when immigration agents showed up. Some of them chased workers through the parking lot. Others rounded up the food cart vendors. De Paz was handcuffed, forced onto her knees, and driven to a federal detention center downtown.
She called her brother, Carlos Barrera, from the facility.
"They didn't ask if she had papers or not. They just grabbed her and put her into one of the vans," Barrera said, recalling his conversation with his sister, who has since been transferred to a desert detention center 90 miles away. "They had no reason to arrest her. They didn't have a warrant."
Though his sister is undocumented, Barrera said the agents could not have known that before detaining her or many of the 29 other people they rounded up that morning.
"She has dark skin. They assumed she was Hispanic, and they took her," he said. "It's the racial factor."
Photos of Emma de Paz under a street vendor's umbrella. De Paz was selling breakfast from her food cart outside a Home Depot parking lot in Los Angeles when immigration agents raided the lot and arrested her.
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Adrian Florido/NPR
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De Paz's brother, Carlos Barrera, said agents arrested her without asking any questions. He believes she was targeted for looking Hispanic.
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Adrian Florido
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NPR
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"Open season" on immigrants
Immigrant advocates and civil rights lawyers say evidence is mounting that immigration agents carrying out the Trump administration's deportation crackdown in southern California are engaging in widespread racial profiling.
They've raided known hubs for Latino workers almost daily – hardware store parking lots, car washes, and street vendor corners. Videos of many of those operations, filmed by bystanders and posted to social media, have shown agents arresting people who appear to be Latino as they stand on sidewalks or wait at bus stops.
On Wednesday, the American Civil Liberties Union and other legal groups filed a federal class action lawsuit alleging that immigration agents roving the streets are targeting people based on the color of their skin or their apparent occupation. They want a judge to declare the raids unconstitutional.
"There is a real sense that it is open season on anyone who appears to be an immigrant," said Eva Bitran, director of immigrants' rights at the ACLU of Southern California. "They are arriving, corralling people before asking one single question, just based on their location and their appearance. Often they are handcuffing people even before they have asked for their papers, or even after a person has said 'I am a US citizen, I have a green card, I have every right to be here.' "
Eva Bitran, director of immigrants' rights at the ACLU of Southern California. The civil rights group is challenging the Trump administration's dragnet immigration raids as unconstitutional.
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Zaydee Sanchez for NPR
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Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs with the Department of Homeland Security, denied that immigration agents are engaging in racial profiling.
"Any claims that individuals have been 'targeted' by law enforcement because of their skin color are disgusting and categorically FALSE," McLaughlin said in a statement.
"DHS enforcement operations are highly targeted, and officers do their due diligence," she added. "We know who we are targeting ahead of time. If and when we do encounter individuals subject to arrest, our law enforcement is trained to ask a series of well-determined questions to determine status and removability."
Rules govern immigration stops
But some legal experts say the indiscriminate sweeps agents appear to be carrying out likely violate rules governing their authority to arrest people they encounter in public, including Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable seizure.
Under federal law, immigration agents can question anyone about their immigration status.
But before arresting someone in public without a warrant, "agents have to have a 'reasonable suspicion' that someone is in the country illegally," said Jean Reisz, professor of immigration law at the University of Southern California. "That reasonable suspicion has to be based on articulable facts. It can't just be based on race. It can't be that this person looks like what I think someone from another country looks like."
People are free not to answer an immigration agent's questions, but if they try to run, agents often consider that suspicious enough to arrest them, she said.
Advocates say the Trump administration's ambitious daily arrest quotas are leading immigration agents to lean on the thinnest of justifications and on false assumptions about people they encounter to justify arrests.
"If you're asking these law enforcement agencies to arrest 3,000 people a day, they cannot form reasonable suspicion for each specific person," Bitran said. "So they have to be cutting corners."
Earlier this year, the ACLU convinced a federal judge in Central California that Border Patrol agents there violated the Constitution when they carried out raids that swept up dozens of people based largely, the group said, on their Latino appearance. Those swept up included U.S. citizens.
A recent concert in downtown Los Angeles to protest ongoing immigration raids. Small protests have popped up almost daily, often at the sites where someone was arrested for deportation.
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Zaydee Sanchez for NPR
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Abimael Dominguez recalled how Border Patrol agents arrived at his uncle's junkyard on June 12 and arrested his brother, Javier Ramirez. Ramirez is a U.S. citizen, and was eventually released, but his brother said the experience traumatized him.
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Zaydee Sanchez for NPR
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"I'm a U.S. citizen!"
On June 12th, Javier Ramirez was at his uncle's auto junkyard in the mostly Latino city of Montebello, east of Los Angeles, when a white unmarked SUV pulled up to the front gate. Video from a security camera shows three U.S. Border Patrol agents quickly get out, pull up their face coverings, and walk through the gate.
In a second video filmed by Ramirez's brother minutes later, Ramirez is handcuffed while an agent pins him against the fence.
"We're all U.S. citizens!" Ramirez shouts. "I've got my passport!"
He tussles with the officer, who pushes him to the ground. Agents then load Ramirez into a van and drive off.
"You can't take him! You can't take him!," Ramirez's brother, Abimael Dominguez, shouts.
Security cameras captured how Border Patrol agents drove up to the junkyard, covered their faces and quickly walked onto the property in search of people to deport.
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Zaydee Sanchez for NPR
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According to court filings, Ramirez was taken to the federal detention center in downtown Los Angeles. Agents confirmed his U.S. citizenship, but charged him with assaulting, resisting or impeding a federal officer.
Standing outside the junkyard on a recent morning, Dominguezsaid that agents had no reason to suspect his brother or anyone else working there was in the country illegally.
"There's a lot of Hispanic brothers right here," but everyone working in the yard that day was a U.S. citizen, he said. "Racial profiling is the way I look at it. Because they just walked in and said 'hey, you and you.' "
Another U.S. citizen who was temporarily detained during the raid is now a plaintiff in the ACLU's lawsuit.
Javier Ramirez has since been released on bail. But his brother said he fears leaving home.
"He's traumatized," Dominguez said. "That sucks, to be a U.S. citizen and not be able to walk in the country of freedom. It sucks that we're antagonized for being Hispanic."
Stefanie Ritoper
was formerly LAist's early childhood engagement producer.
Published May 6, 2026 8:00 AM
LAist reporter Julia Barajas interviews Maria Monares, a longtime resident of East Los Angeles, about odor issues in the area.
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Samanta Helou Hernandez
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LAist
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Topline:
Whether you’re looking to connect with a reporter or have an interview coming up, here’s a cheat sheet to help you talk with journalists, including our staff from LAist.
Why it matters: Reporters come to you for a reason. They may be intimidating because they have a mic or a camera, but you have a perspective they need. Media outlets also want to expand their audiences, and that includes you.
Read on... for our cheat sheet on how to talk with journalists.
LAist reports on local issues for — and with — communities across Southern California, but chances are most readers have never spoken with a journalist before. Your stories and experiences power our reporting, so it’s important that people know what to expect when they speak with a reporter.
That’s what this guide is for.
Below are some tips from our newsroom on what to keep in mind when talking to a journalist.
Remember: You are the expert on your own life
Tell the story you want to tell about yourself.
Be honest. Truthfulness and facts are central to journalistic ethics.
Also know your worth. Reporters come to you for a reason. They may be intimidating because they have a mic or a camera, but you have a perspective they need. Media outlets also want to expand their audiences, and that includes you.
Common questions
How can I get a journalist’s attention?
Contact reporters by social media or send them a personal email — at LAist, contact information is available on our staff page. If you meet a reporter, get their business card. It will usually have a direct phone number to talk with them.
Will all my words be published?
Probably not. Journalists are often working with a limited word count or air time. They will likely use one short sound bite or quote from you. It’s also possible they will not use your interview at all. Reporters and their editors decide what will get published.
Can I see a copy of the story before it's published?
Probably not. It is against journalistic ethics to have sources review a story before it’s published. Imagine if a journalist were to do a piece about government corruption. You wouldn’t want the government agency to review the story and edit it. Editors review stories for accuracy.
When will the story be published?
It depends on the type of story. Some stories are short and may air on the radio or be published online the same day you talk to the reporter. Other times a reporter might work on a story for several weeks or months. It’s OK to follow up with the reporter who talked to you and ask when the story might be done and ask them to let you know where you can read or hear it.
Can I speak with a fact-checker?
You are welcome to ask reporters about their fact-checking process or how they make sure a story is accurate. Not all outlets have fact-checkers. If the story is an investigative story or a long-form or magazine format, designated fact-checkers are more common. At LAist, reporters and editors are responsible for verifying information.
What if I am asked about something that makes me feel uncomfortable?
Your story is your own and during an interview you have full control over what you say to a reporter. Answer questions in any way that makes you feel most comfortable, and you can always decline to answer a question.
What do I do if a reporter asks me about my immigration status?
You don't have to disclose your immigration status to a reporter. If it's directly relevant to the story, a trustworthy reporter will explain that and also tell you how they'd handle the information. You can decline to answer.
How do I determine if the newsroom I'm speaking with has a specific point of view?
It's a great question and relates directly to media literacy — meaning how well you can spot misinformation, disinformation and bias. The reality is that we all have points of view. Here are some tools to check on where a publication falls across the political spectrum:
FAIR's (Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting), which describes itself as a "progressive media watchdog group" has this media literacy guide.
You should be able to find information on who funds the work on the site (corporations, individual owners, subscribers, members and so on).
You can also check out this interactive chart tracking media outlets across the political spectrum (note that you may need a paid version to search smaller outlets). Ad Fontes Media, which describes itself as a "public benefit corporation" which they said means they are "a for-profit business with a stated public mission," has been publishing its analysis since 2018.
Is everything I say usable in a story?
You can come to an agreement with reporters ahead of the conversation about how your words can be used:
“On the record”: This means that everything you say in your conversation with the journalist can be quoted, published and attributed back to you. By default, you should assume any exchange you have with a journalist is on the record unless you mutually agree otherwise.
“On background”: This means that you are sharing information with a journalist that can be referenced in a story, but is not directly attributed to you.
“Off the record”: This means that you are sharing information that is not for publication. People may share experiences or tips off the record if they want the journalist to be aware of the information but don’t want it mentioned in a story. Remember that “off the record” only counts if both you and the journalist agree to it.
It's worth noting that different newsrooms may use these terms slightly differently. You should confirm with the reporter that you have as shared understanding of the meaning.
Do I need to pay to be in a news story? Can I get paid?
No and no. You will not pay or get paid to be in a news story because this is against journalistic ethics. Anyone who receives payment for a story could be swayed to bend the truth.
What if the reporter gets my story wrong?
If you feel that the reporter misrepresented your story, you can ask for a correction or an update to clarify a point. Reporters want to get the story right and they don't want to incorrect or misleading information to go unchecked. That said, corrections deal with information that is factually incorrect, so you should be ready to explain what was wrong and why. Under California law, you have 20 days to demand a correction and the publisher has to respond within a set period of time.
Think about the main points you want to get across in your interview. What are the most critical things for the reporter to know? Some people like to organize their thoughts into three major points. If you are not used to telling your story, you may want to have a friend ask you some questions to practice. Depending on the story, a reporter may also ask if you have any pictures to share that they can use to help tell the story.
Get involved with LAist
Ask LAist reporters questions
You can reach out to LAist reporters through the contact information listed on their bios. All our editorial staff, including the teams reporting, editing and producing news, are listed here.
How else you can be a part of LAist's reporting
Aside from contacting journalists directly, you can share your story with LAist through short surveys and meeting us in person. Learn more here.
This guide was originally written by former LAist early childhood producer Stefanie Ritoper, with contributions from Mariana Dale. Cato Hernández and David Rodriguez also contributed to this guide.
Gab Chabrán
covers what's happening in food and culture for LAist.
Published May 6, 2026 5:00 AM
The Birria XLB, a limited-edition collab between Paradise Dynasty and Burritos La Palma, available starting May 11.
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Katrina Frederick
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Courtesy Paradise Dynasty
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Topline:
Paradise Dynasty and Burritos La Palma have teamed up on a limited-edition Birria XLB — birria de res folded into a soup dumpling skin.
Why it matters: Two of the defining food obsessions of the past decade in Southern California — birria and XLB — are meeting in one bite, and the collab feels less like a gimmick and more like a natural expression of how L.A.'s Asian and Latino food cultures have always cross-pollinated.
Why now: The Birria XLB drops publicly May 11 at Paradise Dynasty's South Coast Plaza and Americana at Brand locations.
File this under things that could only happen in L.A.
Paradise Dynasty, the Singapore-based chain known for its signature eight-flavor xiao long bao, has teamed up with Burritos La Palma — the SoCal burrito institution whose birria de res recipe traces back over 45 years — to create a limited-edition birria soup dumpling. The Birria XLB will be available starting Monday (May 11) for a limited time at Paradise Dynasty locations.
I've eaten my weight in both soup dumplings and burritos, so naturally, I'm a fan of both.
Paradise Dynasty has been on a steady ascent as a major player in L.A.'s dumpling scene, with locations at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa and The Americana at Brand in Glendale.
Meanwhile, Burritos La Palma — known for its simple, savory burritos and finely crafted flour tortillas — has been capturing hearts and stomachs since Alberto Bañuelos opened the first eatery in L.A. in 2012. It’s since grown to several spots across L.A. and Orange County, earning a Michelin Bib Gourmand award in 2024 for its high-quality, Zacatecan-style handmade flour tortilla burritos at an affordable price.
How the collab came together
So what exactly is a birria soup dumpling? A delicate wrapper, lightly packed with tender birria de res — slow-braised beef stewed in chilies and spices — juicy, savory and gone in one bite.
It all began with a call from Paradise Dynasty, when Jason Kuo, district manager for Paradise Dynasty USA, reached out to Bañuelos, calling it, simply, a perfect match between the two dishes.
Kuo said the idea came straight from the community.
"When we started asking guests and people around us what flavor they would want to see in a soup dumpling, birria kept coming up again and again — it was very clear. If we're going to do birria, it has to be done right. Burritos La Palma was the first name that came to mind."
Bañuelos was "beyond thrilled" to have been approached.
"We come from a small town in Mexico, and to be able to elevate to the level of Paradise Dynasty and that culinary perfection, I can't even really put it into words," he said.
It took months of R&D to get the right consistency. Bañuelos said the process required dialing down the moisture and upping the spice potency and landed on serving a fresh red salsa with thin slivers of serrano peppers alongside — a riff on the black vinegar and pickled ginger traditionally served with soup dumplings.
The Birria XLB's juicy interior is part of what makes it work — the dish is served with a fresh, tomato-based salsa and slivers of serrano pepper in place of the traditional black vinegar and pickled ginger.
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Katrina Frederick
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Courtesy Paradise Dynasty
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How it tastes
I got a chance to try the dumplings ahead of the public launch and was struck by how well the combination worked. The juicy nature of birria is almost turbocharged in dumpling form, its savory, herbaceous flavors fully encapsulated in the thin skin, creating an exceptional texture in every bite. The dish hits even harder when dipped in the light tomato-based salsa — a rush of freshness that cuts through the richness, with a spike of heat from fresh serrano. (Feel free to skip the peppers if spice isn't your thing.)
But what's most impressive is how organic it all feels. This isn't fusion for fusion's sake — it's a natural meeting of two dishes that are deeply embedded in the Southern California diet, each playing to the other's strengths.
It feels like a logical meeting of the minds — birria and soup dumplings have both been part of L.A.'s culinary zeitgeist for the better part of a decade, and it makes sense that these worlds should collide.
When asked whether a collaboration like this could happen anywhere else, Bañuelos was quick: "It has to start in L.A. You just can't compete."
If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.
A gated building at Urban Strategies, a facility that holds unaccompanied minor immigrants under contract with the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement, in San Benito, Texas.
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Patricia Lim
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KUT News
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Topline:
Nine Democratic House members from California are demanding information about how the Trump administration is treating unaccompanied migrant children who are pregnant and in federal custody.
Why now: They signed a letter last week, along with 39 other House Democrats, to Trump officials expressing their concern that the girls are not receiving adequate medical care or access to abortion.
How we got here: The letter comes in the wake of an investigation by the California and Texas Newsrooms, public media collaboratives in those states. LAist is part of The California Newsroom. The joint investigation found that the federal government is detaining pregnant migrant girls in a single group home in South Texas. Doctors and reproductive-health researchers interviewed for the investigation said prenatal care is severely limited in that region.
Nine Democratic House members from California are demanding information about how the Trump administration is treating unaccompanied migrant children who are pregnant and in federal custody. They’ve signed a letter, along with 39 other House Democrats, to Trump officials expressing their concern that the girls are not receiving adequate medical care or access to abortion.
The joint investigation found that the federal government is detaining pregnant migrant girls in a single group home in South Texas. Doctors and reproductive-health experts interviewed for the investigation said prenatal care is severely limited in that region.
The letter says the detention violates federal regulations because the children are “entitled to the full range of medical care, including reproductive health care.”
Rep. Gil Cisneros, who represents the central San Gabriel Valley, says he worries that pregnant migrants who are apprehended in California will be put at risk if they’re sent to a part of Texas that is short on obstetric care. Of particularly concern: High-risk pregnancies are common among minors.
“If they were in California," he said, "they would be able to have more choices of the type of health care that they would get when it comes to reproductive health care.”
Rep. Judy Chu, who represents the West San Gabriel Valley, wrote in a statement that “this administration is so intent on restricting abortion that it is using immigration detention as a tool to control these girls’ bodies.”
Mariana Dale
explores and explains the forces that shape how and what kids learn from kindergarten to high school.
Published May 5, 2026 3:40 PM
The Trump administration has announced a Title IX investigation into LAUSD.
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Genaro Molina
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Getty Images
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Topline:
The U.S. Department of Education is investigating how the Los Angeles Unified School District responds to educators accused of sexual misconduct with students.
Why now: The department accuses the district of maintaining a policy that “automatically” reassigns teachers to other schools when they are accused of sexual misconduct with students and cites a 2024 agreement with the teacher’s union.
The district’s policy: A Los Angeles Unified spokesperson wrote in a statement that it’s “not true” that staff being investigated for sexual misconduct are reassigned to other school sites. “‘Reassignment’ typically means an employee is directed to remain at home and away from students and schools during an investigation,” the spokesperson wrote.
LAUSD protocol related to employee misconduct says administrators must remove accused employees from their classroom or worksite whenever there is a risk to the safety of students or staff. The 110-page document also lists several other requirements for allegations related to sexual misconduct, including contacting law enforcement and the agencies that license teachers.
The U.S. Department of Education is investigating how the Los Angeles Unified School District responds to educators accused of sexual misconduct with students.
The department accuses the district of maintaining a policy that “automatically” reassigns teachers to other schools when they are accused of sexual misconduct with students and cites a 2024 agreement with the teachers union.
A Los Angeles Unified spokesperson wrote in a statement that it’s “not true” that staff being investigated for sexual misconduct are reassigned to other school sites.
“‘Reassignment’ typically means an employee is directed to remain at home and away from students and schools during an investigation,” the spokesperson wrote.
United Teachers Los Angeles called the DOE's accusations a “fundamental misunderstanding” of the district’s reassignment policy.
“[Employees] are not reassigned to another classroom or to any other setting where they would interact with students,” read a statement provided by the union. “This policy protects both students and staff and creates conditions for a thorough and appropriate investigation of allegations.”
Kimberly Richey, the assistant secretary for civil rights, wrote in a statement that Title IX requires schools to address claims of sexual misconduct in a “timely manner.”
“It is unconscionable that the district would simply ignore Title IX’s procedural requirements to protect teachers who cause life-changing harm to their kids,” Richey wrote. “The Trump administration will always fight to uphold the law, protect the safety of all students and restore common sense to our schools.”
LAUSD protocol related to employee misconduct says administrators must remove accused employees from their classroom or worksite whenever there is a risk to the safety of students or staff.
The 110-page protocol document also lists several other requirements for allegations related to sexual misconduct, including contacting law enforcement and the agencies that license teachers.
“Los Angeles Unified takes all allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment with the utmost seriousness,” a spokesperson wrote in a statement. “Our primary responsibility is to ensure the safety, dignity and well-being of every student and staff member in our care.” The statement also said the district follows Title IX procedures and continuously reviews its policies, training and reporting systems.
The UTLA settlement outlines several circumstances where an employee can be reassigned, including a law enforcement investigation of misconduct, sexual harassment of a student, behavior toward a student perceived to be motivated by a sexual interest and communicating with a student for non-school-related purposes.
A new California law requires schools to train students and staff to recognize and report misconduct and write new policies on “appropriate behavior.” It also will create a new database of educators credibly accused of abuse.
