L.A. Chamber calls out federal enforcement actions

The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce took the federal government to task over its handling of the controversial immigration raids in Los Angeles.

“We are deeply concerned by recent enforcement actions that have disrupted the well-being of our communities, compromised public safety, and threatened the stability of our local economy,” the Chamber said in an unusually pointed statement posted on its website this week.

“These actions strike at the heart of Los Angeles—a city where immigrants are not only valued members of our communities but are also essential to the strength of our workforce and the success of our economy. Immigrants power critical sectors and contribute daily to the region’s prosperity.”

The chamber’s statement came as President Trump mobilized nearly 2,000 members of the National Guard to L.A. to quell protests against the federal government’s efforts aimed at deporting undocumented immigrants.

The force was deployed Sunday morning after thousands of people gathered in the streets to protest raids and arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Agents have raided several Home Depot locations as well as Ambiance Apparel in the garment district in downtown L.A. as part of a crackdown that led to the arrests of dozens of people.

On Sunday, some businesses were vandalized and burglarized in downtown L.A. while cars burned and police cruisers were crushed with rocks. There were reports of additional vandalism in downtown L.A. Monday night, though city and state officials have decried the move to deploy National Guard troops and Marines as unnecessary.

In another statement posted on the chamber’s website and X account on Monday, Maria S. Salinas, president and chief executive of the L.A. Area Chamber, called for calm and sought a de-escalation of tactics in Los Angeles.

“The discord in our city is deeply unsettling, and we must restore order. Rather than pursue more reasonable and orderly means to implement its immigration policy, the Administration’s recent enforcement actions undermine public safety, harm our communities, and destabilize our economy,” Salinas wrote.

The Los Angeles Area Chamber is the oldest and largest business association in the region, representing more than 1,400 members who employed over 650,000 people, according to its website.

An L.A. Area Chamber spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In 2021, Los Angeles region was home to 3.5 million immigrants, representing 35% of the county’s more than 10 million population, according to USC Equity Research Institute’s 2024 State of Immigrants in L.A. County report.