Community groups protest LA Olympics organizers over ICE raids, Trump donors

Community groups and local unions are asking the organizers of the L.A. Olympics to take a stand against ICE and keep federal immigration enforcement activities out of the 2028 Games.

The federal government is leading security for the Olympics and has allocated $1 billion to security spending for the mega-event, which will span the region and bring all levels of law enforcement to the streets of Los Angeles.

Critics are worried about what that might look like and how it will impact a city already reeling from ICE raids and the deployment of National Guard troops on the city's streets this summer.

Dozens gathered outside the offices of Los Angeles Olympics organizing committee LA28 in downtown Wednesday morning to ask organizers to take a stand against ICE. They also called on LA28 chair Casey Wasserman to resign, citing the recent addition of several allies of President Donald Trump to the Olympics board of directors.

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"It's sad that they haven't taken a stance in defense of this community," said Jose Madera, director of the Pasadena Community Job Center. "That's a huge shame. So that's why we're asking LA28 to get ICE and any other immigration enforcement agencies out of the Games."

LA28 has not publicly weighed in on the immigration raids that have swept the city since summer, sparking protests and a climate of fear across the region.

A spokesperson for the organization did not respond to a request for comment on the concerns of community organizations about immigration enforcement at the Games or to the demand that Wasserman step down.

"LA28 is committed to working with all stakeholders to welcome athletes and visitors from around the world and deliver the safest and greatest Games for Angelenos and beyond," Jacie Prieto Lopez, LA28's vice president of communications and public affairs, said in a statement.

The federal government has stepped up its involvement in the Olympics in recent months. Over the summer, Trump formed a federal task force on Olympics security and named himself the chair.

Last month, LA28 added several Trump allies to its board of directors, including former House Speaker and California Republican Kevin McCarthy and Reince Priebus, who served as chief of staff during part of Trump's first term.

Billionaire Trump donor Diane Hendricks, Trump's former banker Ken Moelis and Patrick Dumont, son-in-law of Trump donor Miriam Adelson, also were added to the list.

Those names elicited boos at the press conference outside of LA28 on Wednesday.

" You have claimed that this will be an Olympics that will celebrate the rich culture that defines our city," said Eddie Anderson, a pastor at McCarty Memorial Church in West Adams. "And we wanna ask you: Which culture are you talking about?"