LOS ANGELES: Law enforcement used excessive force and deliberate brutality against Los Angeles protesters and journalists during demonstrations against Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in June, a Human Rights Watch report said Monday.

Scores of people were injured as officers fired hard foam rounds, flash-bang grenades, pepper balls and tear gas from close range, during the largely peaceful response to a dramatic increase in immigration arrests across Southern California.

“Law enforcement officers…used brutal, excessive, and unnecessary force against people standing up for human rights and those reporting on the protests,” said Ida Sawyer, the rights group’s crisis, conflict and arms director.

The protests erupted on June 6, in anger at raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has been ordered by the Trump administration to target undocumented migrants across the sprawling, heavily Latino city.

The demonstrations were mainly confined to a small section of downtown Los Angeles. Largely non-violent, they at times spiraled into chaotic scenes that Trump pounced on to send 4,000 National Guard and 700 Marines into the city – a move loudly protested by local officials.

Compiling the report, Human Rights Watch staff observed protests, visited locations of immigration raids in mid-June, and interviewed dozens of people.

The report documented 65 cases in which law enforcement officers injured protesters and journalists but warned that the “actual number is most likely much higher.” On one occasion, a police officer shot three people at “very close range with kinetic impact projectiles,” leaving them in serious pain for days.

“Before shooting one of them in the groin, the officer said: ‘I’m going to pop you, as you are taking up my focus,’” the report found.

Other reported injuries included broken bones, concussions, an amputated finger, and severe eye damage.

In a statement, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said it “does not deploy less-lethal tools indiscriminately.” “Such tools are used only when all de-escalation efforts have been exhausted,” it added.

The law enforcement agency said any time a deputy uses force, they are required to report it to a supervisor and undergo “a thorough, fair, and objective review,” including analyzing evidence and video footage to determine “that the actions taken were objectively reasonable and fully aligned” with policy.

An Agence France-Presse photographer was shot in the face with a rubber bullet by law enforcement while covering a protest in downtown Los Angeles on June 14. At least three other journalists were also injured.

The US Constitution guarantees the right to free speech and peaceful assembly, and protects against the use of excessive force by law enforcement.

California has laws restricting the use of “less lethal weapons” during protests, and protecting the rights of journalists.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2025