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Federal immigration agents brought a person in their custody to the emergency room at Adventist Health White Memorial Hospital in Boyle Heights on Friday evening, drawing a crowd of protesters and, by Saturday, condemnation from Los Angeles’ current and incoming mayors.
What happened Friday
Hospital officials confirmed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrived with an unidentified patient on Friday, Nov. 6. They did not say what medical care the person needed.
Agents stood outside the emergency room entrance for hours, and protesters said they effectively blocked it. As word spread, a large crowd gathered. Some people banged pots; many filmed the scene on their phones.
Abraham Zavala, a community activist and rapid responder, said agents used mace on him and others in the crowd. He also said agents took up several parking spaces and that residents had heard ambulance traffic was being diverted to other hospitals. Those claims have not been independently confirmed.
Los Angeles Police Department officers responded to reports of a disturbance. The department said its officers did not take part in any immigration enforcement.
Saturday march
On Saturday, another group marched from Mariachi Plaza to the hospital on Cesar E. Chavez Avenue, carrying a letter demanding answers from hospital leadership.
Angelica Salas of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) said federal authorities were ignoring calls for immigration enforcement to respect human and constitutional rights.
Mayor-elect Nithya Raman joined the marchers and condemned the agents’ actions. She told the crowd that this week’s election results showed the Trump administration’s tactics are unwelcome in Los Angeles and beyond.
Zavala said residents would keep defending the neighborhood, pointing to Boyle Heights’ long history of community resistance.
How officials responded
The hospital. White Memorial President Daniel Fontoura met the marchers at the hospital and told reporters that ICE had not been invited. He said blocking patients’ access to care went against the hospital’s mission. A later statement said the hospital does not take part in or facilitate immigration enforcement, and that Boyle Heights families should feel safe seeking care there, as they have for more than a century.
Mayor Karen Bass. Bass called on the Trump administration to stop immigration enforcement at health care facilities, saying a hospital should be “the one place where people feel safe.” She also faulted hospital leadership, saying it should have stepped in right away to protect patients and that it appeared not to have done so.
ICE. An agency spokesperson declined to discuss its operations. In a statement, ICE said it does not target hospitals, schools or churches, and called the criticism a false narrative aimed at demonizing its officers.
What remains unclear
- The identity of the patient and the nature of their medical condition.
- Whether anyone was arrested or detained at the hospital.
- Whether ambulance traffic was in fact diverted, as protesters said.
Source: CBS LA, Lauren Pozen, Nov. 7, 2026.
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