Public immigration sweeps in L.A. are not new — similar tactics were used in the 1930s

Originally published Oct. 16, 2025

It was a sunny, late winter afternoon Feb 26, 1931. Hundreds of Angelenos, many of them Mexican Americans, crowded into the historic La Placita Park in DTLA to relax and catch up with friends.

The park was a stone’s throw away from where the Pueblo of Los Angeles was founded in 1781 by 44 settlers of Mexican, Black and Spanish descent. As friends chatted on the park’s numerous benches, vendors sold food, musicians performed, and soapbox speakers preached. The atmosphere was breezy and calm…

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