Metro to update protocols for closing stations after passengers were left 'stranded' during protests

The Los Angeles Metro Board approved a motion on Thursday calling for an “updated protocol” for station closures and service interruptions amid concerns that people were unable to use the system during protests in downtown L.A.

Outgoing Metro board chair and L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who brought the motion forward, said she heard reports of people getting “stranded” because of station closures after police issued dispersal orders on the afternoon of June 14, the day of the No Kings protest against President Donald Trump and federal immigration actions.

“ I heard people were walking miles to try to get out, and these were people that were dispersing because they were ordered to disperse,” Hahn said.

Robert Gummer, deputy chief of security and law enforcement for Metro, said it was difficult to monitor the No Kings protest because it was not permitted. Gummer said people were able to leverage the system earlier in the day.

The motion calls for the updated protocol to ensure that stations only close “when necessary” and that Metro sends out “clear, timely and multilingual communication.”

Station closures

Between June 8 and 13, the Little Tokyo station, which services the A and E lines, was closed between 8 to 12 hours each day, according to a Metro presentation at Thursday’s board meeting.

Other downtown stations were temporarily closed during that period to “protect customers and employees from bodily harm and violence, or to minimize damage to the system,” according to the presentation.

Metro said it maintained bus service during the rail station disruptions and re-routed 27 of 118 bus lines to avoid road closures during protests.

Gummer said Metro makes decisions on whether to close stations partly based on requests from the Los Angeles Police Department and the L.A. Sheriff’s Department.

“It’s a back-and-forth negotiation,” Gummer said. “‘We look at potential impacts, see if there’s ways for us to continue service and try to find a way that makes the most sense based on the public safety implications.”

Metro’s protocol for ICE

Gummer said Thursday that the agency has told employees to not “impede or interfere with law enforcement activities” and to report any such activity to the system’s operations and security teams. Gummer added that Metro will prevent Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers from entering “non-public areas ... absent a judicial warrant.”

Gummer said there haven’t been any reports of ICE on the system’s buses or trains so far.

Immigration officers were sighted at the El Monte train station on June 12 asking patrons about their immigration status. They were reportedly present for 15 minutes, and no one was detained.

Calls for fareless transit

In a letter to Metro, ACT-LA, a coalition of advocacy organizations in L.A., called for a series of changes to the system for the duration of federal immigration enforcement in the county.

Those recommendations include not locking turnstiles so “passengers can exit quickly and safely” and making rides cost-free “to mitigate the adverse economic impact ICE presence is having on working class Angelenos and small businesses,” according to the letter.

Metro Board Member Fernando Dutra, who also serves on the Whittier City Council, said he supports the agency’s ongoing efforts to distribute know-your-rights information to riders, as well as additional training for staff “on their rights and responsibilities as it relates to immigration activities.”

“ However, I cannot support unlocking our turnstiles, stopping TAP-to-exit or making the system fareless,” Dutra said.

Dutra directed anyone experiencing economic hardship to Metro’s low-income program.