Anti-immigration enforcement activists helped a British illegal migrant escape from federal custody in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday, according to the New York Post.
Department of Homeland Security sources told the outlet that federal contractors had shackled the man and were walking him into the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center with others when the protesters helped him slip away.
The activists then reportedly helped load the migrant into a van.
"This is getting out of control," one source said of the anti-ICE demonstrators' presence around the federal detention facility.
The Post's sources said that authorities are now searching for the illegal immigrant, who is believed to have a criminal record. He has not been identified.
The L.A. detention center was at the center of the anti-immigration enforcement riots that engulfed the city in June, when mobs of protesters attacked federal agents, destroyed property and shut down major highways in an effort to halt President Donald Trump's mass deportation operation.
As a result of the destructive riots, Trump deployed 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the city to quell the violence and restore law and order.
California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom then sued the Trump administration over the military deployment, arguing that Trump had overstepped his authority by mobilizing the Guard under a federal law that was meant for times of "rebellion" or "invasion."
In June, an appeals court ruled in favor of the president, allowing him to retain control of the National Guard troops he deployed to L.A. The decision overturned a lower court ruling that found Trump acted illegally when he activated the soldiers.
Newsmax reached out to ICE for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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