LOS ANGELES — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted a series of immigration sweeps starting Friday afternoon and into the weekend that sparked an outpouring of protests in the heart of Los Angeles and caused a flurry of disinformation online.

Over the last several days, rumors of extreme scenarios have seeped into the public discourse about ICE raids at school graduations, local Home Depots and at hotels where agents are staying.

Here’s what we know about the rumors around ICE actions in Los Angeles and the protests against them in the area.

Are protesters clashing with ICE all across Los Angeles?

Media outlets outside California and social media users have been calling the entirety of Los Angeles a war zone as demonstrators and law enforcement have clashed since Friday.

Fact check: Los Angeles is a sprawling Southern California city that encompasses more than 500 square miles.

Demonstrations and skirmishes between law enforcement and protesters have largely stayed within downtown L.A.’s Civic Center, an area spanning a few city blocks that is home to courthouses, federal buildings and LAPD headquarters. Some protests have also spilled onto a stretch of the 101 Freeway near a downtown immigration detention center.

Protesters have gathered in other areas of Los Angeles County where there have been ICE raids or the presence of ICE officials, including outside of a Pasadena hotel, in Paramount near a Home Depot and Santa Ana.

“There is no emergency, widespread threat, or out of control violence in Los Angeles,” said Rick Caruso, Los Angeles real estate developer and former president of the L.A. Police Commission, on X.

Did ICE raid a school graduation?

In a tearful Instagram video Friday, user @heymrhowie said he heard that parents were fleeing a graduation ceremony at Gratts Elementary and leaving their children behind upon hearing of ICE presence because “they didn’t have papers and leave their kids because they do.”

“And the kids are freaking grabbing teachers and crying on their legs because they don’t know if they’re about to see their parents when they get home,” @heymrhowie stated in the video. “What the f--- is this?”

Fact check: On Monday, Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said there was no confirmed threat to the Friday culmination at Gratts Elementary, located just west of downtown.

“We’ve investigated it,” Carvalho said during a press conference, “and all the reports that came back was that no such event happened.”

He added, “What is possible is, considering the level of fear and awareness in our community, if you see three unmarked vehicles, three mini vans, three SUVs, driving through a neighborhood, obviously you’re going to suspect that that may be a possibility. We believe that that may have been the case.”

The superintendent urged families whose children attend an LAUSD school to update their contact and emergency information with their school.

He also advised families to prepare back-up plans should caregivers be taken into custody.

Did ICE stay at Pasadena hotels and question workers?

There were reports that ICE workers operating in the area were staying at hotels in Pasadena, where they were questioning the immigration status of hotel staff. Protesters reportedly vandalized government vehicles parked at the locations.

Fact check: Pasadena City spokesperson Lisa Derderian confirmed federal agents are staying as guests in at least two hotels and were spotted at a local coffee shop, but that local officials were unaware of any “raids.”

“As you’re aware, ICE does not coordinate with our City,” Derderian said.

Over 100 people held a rally outside the AC Hotel to protest of the presence of federal agents.

City officials also attended the protest, including Councilman Rick Cole, who called the rally necessary to send a message.

“People have gathered across from the AC Hotel to make clear their vicious attack on workers and families are not welcome in Pasadena,” he said in a Facebook post. “I stand with them. Reasonable people can disagree about Federal immigration policy, but raids as a policy designed to terrorize our neighbors and deport them to often hellish conditions is an attack on American values.”

On Monday, there was a quiet hum of traffic passing on Colorado Boulevard outside the AC Hotel. A hotel employee, who declined to give his name, said it was quiet overnight with no additional protests outside the building.

A lone flyer that read “ICE out of LA” was placed on a third-floor balcony.

Pasadena has played host to federal officials for months ever since the Eaton fire burned through nearby Altadena, Derderian said.

“We ask the public to please not assume every marked federal vehicle is connected to ‘raids’ as we have a long road to helping our community that has been deeply impacted by the fire too,” Derderian said.

Is the viral X post of multiple police cars on fire real?

Images of police cars ablaze in Los Angeles ran rampant on X over the weekend and while the video footage is real, it did not happen during the anti-ICE protests.

On Sunday, former actor turned conservative pundit James Woods shared a video of police vehicles on fire to his nearly 5 million followers on X, stating, “If I hear one more leftist shill in mainstream media utter the words ‘peaceful protests,’ I’ll throw up.”

Wood’s post had more than 9 million views and it was reposted by at least 16,000 other X users.

One of the X users who reposted the video was U.S, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, with the comment, “This…is…not…peaceful,” referring to the alleged actions by demonstrators in Los Angeles.

Fact check: The video content of both posts have been taken down from X because the images and clips of police cars on fire is from 2020 protests in Los Angeles, not recent anti-ICE demonstrations.

During the current protests, a Los Angeles police vehicle’s windshield was shattered when a heavy item was thrown at it and the back window of another was smashed open by protesters.

Videos posted on social media also show protesters along the 101 Freeway hurling concrete and other heavy items onto California Highway Patrol cruisers. The only burning vehicles were a group of autonomous Waymos set ablaze on Sunday evening.

What happened in Paramount on Saturday?

Fact check: Assembly member José Luis Solache Jr., who represents the Paramount area that includes the Home Depot at the center of Saturday’s confrontations, was driving to a community event in neighboring Lakewood when he spotted a caravan of U.S. Customs and Border Protection vehicles exiting the freeway at Alondra Boulevard, which runs through Paramount.

Solache Jr. tracked the vehicles to an office park at the Paramount Business Center, across the street from Home Depot, where federal law enforcement has a facility.

He posted the information on social media, which prompted the arrival of protesters.

Protesters and authorities clashed throughout the day and into the evening, triggering the Trump administration to send 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles, claiming local law enforcement was overwhelmed.

Tensions rose in the afternoon when ICE agents attempted to clear the way for Border Patrol and other unmarked vehicles to leave a business park on Alondra Boulevard.

Officials fired tear gas and flash-bang grenades at demonstrators who threw rocks and other objects at federal vehicles that departed from the business park gates.

One Paramount man who allegedly threw rocks at law enforcement vehicles and injured an officer is now on the FBI's Most Wanted list.

The FBI is currently seeking the public’s help in identifying the man.

The conflict began to wind down by midnight when demonstrators started to leave the area.

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(Los Angeles Times staff writers Ruben Vives and Rachel Uranga contributed to this report.)

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