After an immigration enforcement operation was conducted in Los Angeles’ Fashion District, fear once again gripped the businesses in the area as some shops remained closed on Friday.
The latest operation was reported Thursday at around 11 a.m. near 11th Street and Maple Avenue. A witness told NBC Los Angeles that he saw about 10 agents during the “chaotic” event.
Business owners, including Jocelyn Bravo, said Friday shoppers are once again afraid to come to the Fashion District while some shop owners didn’t open Friday out of fear.
“It seemed like we were in an active war zone for no reason,” described Bravo, who owns a jewelry store in the Fashion District. She said agents pointed a gun at her brother during Thursday’s operation.
“They were asking if he had his papers. And my brother said, ‘Yes, you can come and check me,’” she said.
The latest incident will hurt the Fashion District further, Bravo said, as business was just starting to pick up again after a series of operations last year.
“Everyone is afraid to come. Our main audience, the people who buy from us, is all Hispanic. They are afraid to come,” she explained.
While some shops stayed closed Friday, Bravo said although she’s afraid, her store will stay open as she has been around the Fashion District since age 12.
“I’ve never experienced anything like that at all,” she said. “I have a sister in the military. And she’s like, ‘Dude, they don’t do that when we’re on the round. It’s insane.’”
Mayor Karen Bass Friday reiterated her message against the Trump administration, saying the immigration enforcement operations are “negatively impacting the city of Los Angeles.”
“I highly doubt they were after any hardened criminals in the Fashion District,” Bass said.
It was not immediately clear whether anyone was detained from the operation.
The Department of Homeland Security told NBC Los Angeles that it “continues to operate throughout” the city of LA while encouraging undocumented immigrations to self-deport via the CBP app.
LA’s Fashion District is where the federal government launched immigration enforcement operations in Los Angeles in June 2025, detaining dozens of people from workplaces.
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