CNN photographer detained in kettle, removed from LA protest area

An unidentified CNN photographer was detained in a police kettle while broadcasting from anti-deportation demonstrations in Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025. A correspondent and another team member for the outlet were escorted out while still on air, before the photographer was also removed.

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 LA 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.

CNN national correspondent Jason Carroll and his reporting team were covering demonstrations in downtown LA on June 9, and had just concluded a live report for the news program “Laura Coates Live” when they were approached by police.

The unidentified photographer recorded as Los Angeles Police Department officers told Carroll that he needed to leave the area, directing him to place his arms behind his back as two officers escorted him outside the perimeter by the elbow.

“I said, ‘Am I being arrested?’ He said, ‘No, you’re not being arrested, you’re being detained,’” Carroll recounted. “You take a lot of risks as press. This is low on that sort of scale of risks, but it is something that I wasn’t expecting, simply because we’ve been out here all day.”

The photographer and a third team member were escorted out of the area in the same manner.

Carroll reported that officers took down his name and other basic information before releasing him. He did not respond to a request for comment.

In an emailed statement to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, CNN said it was “pleased the situation resolved quickly once the reporting team presented law enforcement with their CNN credentials.”

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.