Day 520 - ICE Invades Boyle Heights Hospital, Community Pressures Them Out

This story was updated November 8 at 4:15 p.m. (PST.)

Late Friday night, at approximately 11:30 p.m., ICE agents were seen in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of N. Boyle Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue pepper-spraying two protesters and brutally arresting them after transporting a detained person to White Memorial Medical Center.

A witness who recorded the incident says the ICE agents were in the neighborhood near White Memorial Medical Center, prompting community members to gather and voice their anger. Things escalated with the agents, leading to the two arrests.

According to LAist, which published a story October 2025, doctors at Adventist Health White Memorial hospital told them that hospital administrators were allowing federal immigration agents to interfere in medical decisions and blocking doctors from properly treating detainees who needed emergency care. On one occasion, a white memorial administrator told doctors not to call a detained patient’s family, not even to find out what type of medication they were taking or what medical conditions they have.

So while ICE presence at White Memorial isn't new, what transpired last night that led to such an intense standoff? It all started roughly around 9:00pm last night. 

Legal observers at the downtown Los Angeles Metropolitan Detention Center on 535 N. Alameda Street, where the ICE holding bunker is, shared footage of a detained person being transported into an ambulance and taken to White Memorial, escorted by an ICE agent. Once arriving to the hospital, legal observers told the man he isn’t alone, wished him love, and he seemed thankful. Now, I have not independently confirmed if this is the patient that ICE agents were originally waiting for when the two protesters were arrested

ICE agents were observed in the neighborhood of N Boyle Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue, near the ambulance dock. This naturally prompted a reaction from the community, and at around 11:30pm, the two community members who were protesting and arguing with ICE agents were pepper sprayed and violently detained by these masked men. 

At that point, the video surfaced online and a call-to-action spread across social media and rapid response channels since the ICE agents remained in the area waiting for the medical release of a detainee. 

Community members came out to document and record three vehicles that were staying just across the property line of the parking lot at the ambulance dock of White Memorial. 

Some used megaphones, some yelled at them directly, others were there to simply record and photograph the activity. At around 1:00am, there three ICE vehicles with at least 5 agents were communicating with each other, presumably waiting for the medical release. There were about 20 to 25 legal observers, protesters, and streamers who were on scene just behind the entrance to the ambulance dock. They were yelling, alerting the community, and overall remained quite peaceful. 

At some point, an agent also seemed to be pouring something into a container and letting it drip out the vehicle, some people said it looked like he urinated. Again, because of where they were and where legal observers were, there is no confirmation if he did urinate into a container or outside the vehicle.

The masked agents all remained in their vehicles until approximately 2:20 a.m., now Saturday morning. Two male agents stepped out of their vehicle, removed their vest, and made their way inside the hospital after a security guard let them in, prompting a strong reaction from the crowd.

Community members walked into the ambulance dock to surround another ICE vehicle with two agents to protest their presence. Then at 2:31am, an ICE brigade of several vehicles arrived to the scene and formed a riot line across the entrance to the ambulance dock. This resulted in agents using flashlights to blind people from recording, they aimed pepper spray at people, and pulled out batons.

The crowd of legal observers and protesters grew, neighbors came out with pots and pans demanding ICE to leave, and the crowd began chanting and raising the volume of their demands.

At 2:41am, an LAPD officer arrived regarding “protesters blocking entry to the hospital.” When asked what the protocol is when agents block the entrance, he said it’s private property and can’t do anything about it. He soon left, no legal observers were blocking the entrance and they consistently moved out the way if a vehicle pulled in.

At 2:50am, several ICE agents began to make their way out of the parking lot as the crowd stood their ground, so agents took to the street, as did community watchers. Three ICE vehicles left the ambulance dock area. Just a minute afterward, the rest of the ICE agents left the area, and at least one remained on scene and mocked the observers. 

While the remaining agents drove off, they aimed pepper spray outside of their vehicles, hitting several community members, including a very young woman/teenager who was incapacitated for several moments as the crowd gathered to tend to her. A couple protesters threw water and plastic bottles.

The lone ICE agent made his way inside the hospital from the parking lot, presumably to transfer the detained patient. According to NBC, due to the ICE blockade at the driveway to the ambulance bay, ambulances were diverted to other hospitals.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli later stated on X that two U.S. citizens were arrested and charged under 18 U.S.C. § 111 for allegedly assaulting a federal officer. No details regarding the allegation were provided.

A rally and march from Mariachi Plaza to the hospital was held Saturday afternoon to denounce ICE's activity at White Memorial. According to the Boyle Heights Beat, organizers and elected officials handed off a letter to the hospital’s administrators to call for an end to any collaboration between the hospital and ICE/DHS.

A request for comment was submitted to the White Memorial Medical Center. This story will be updated if a comment is received.