Independent journalist detained in LA police kettle amid protests

Independent journalist Anthony Cabassa was detained in a kettle by police while covering an anti-deportation protest in Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025.

The protests began June 6 in response to federal raids in and around LA of workplaces and areas where immigrant day laborers gathered, amid the Trump administration’s larger immigration crackdown. After demonstrators clashed with local law enforcement officers and federal agents, President Donald Trump called in the California National Guard and then the U.S. Marines over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.

Cabassa first posted his coverage of the June 9 protests, centered around the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown LA’s Little Tokyo neighborhood, on the social platform X starting at around 5 p.m.

After the Los Angeles Police Department declared the protests an unlawful assembly, officers began herding the crowd and by approximately 8:30 p.m. had surrounded them using a technique called kettling.

Multiple journalists caught in the kettle told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that police were removing journalists and demonstrators one by one, and did not make it clear whether members of the press were under arrest.

When each of the journalists was removed from the kettle, officers directed them to place their hands behind their back and then held their arms in place while walking them out of the area. Once members of the press provided their names and basic information, officers allowed them to leave with a warning that, if they returned, they would be subject to arrest.

Cabassa posted that police detained and handcuffed him, but released him after verifying his media credentials. He did not respond to a request for comment.

When reached for comment, the LAPD directed the Tracker to the department’s social media accounts. But in a June 10 news release posted on social platform X about the previous evening’s arrests, the LAPD did not address the detainments and removal of journalists caught in the kettle.