Statement from the Los Angeles LGBT Center on ICE Raids the in Los Angeles and the Call for LGBTQ+ Solidarity 

LOS ANGELES, CA, June 10, 2025 – In response to the ongoing ICE raids in Los Angeles, Los Angeles LGBT Center CEO Joe Hollendoner issued the following statement: 

“What we are witnessing in Los Angeles is a deliberate erosion of the American Dream—a calculated dismantling of hope for immigrant families, particularly for undocumented queer and trans people of color. This past week, reports of ICE agents at local transit hubs, schools, and restaurants in our neighborhoods have ignited fear across the communities we serve. These actions are not occurring in isolation. They are the result of a broader agenda: one that criminalizes identity, punishes difference, and weaponizes state power against the most vulnerable.

President Trump’s careless call to deploy the National Guard and U.S. Marines in American cities like ours is not about public safety. It’s about control. It’s about advancing an authoritarian vision of this country that leaves no room for those who are undocumented, queer, trans, or other that do not fit his administration’s vision of our country. This militarization is not abstract—it puts lives at risk. It makes it dangerous for people to seek medical care, go to work, ride public transportation, or simply exist.

The LGBTQ+ community knows this playbook. We’ve seen it before in the raids of gay bars, in the criminalization of HIV, in the refusal to acknowledge our humanity. And we know how to respond. We respond with collective power. We respond by showing up for each other.

That is why I’m calling on every LGBTQ+ organization—across California—to rise up at this moment. We must speak out in defense of our undocumented community members. We must extend legal support, shelter, and resources. We must use our platforms to reject the violent nationalism taking hold before our eyes.

The Center will not stay silent. We stand in full solidarity with immigrant rights groups and are mobilizing to ensure LGBTQ+ immigrants and families in our city are protected and seen. Our legacy as a movement demands no less. The promise of this country may be fading in the hands of those in power—but we will continue to build something better, rooted in justice, dignity, and liberation for all.” If you or someone you know needs support, the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s free legal clinics are here to help. Visit lalgbtcenter.org or on social at @lalgbtcenter to learn more.