Photojournalist pushed by federal officers at immigration protest in LA

Independent photojournalist Steven Berumen was shoved by Department of Homeland Security officers during a protest against immigration raids in Los Angeles, California, on Aug. 9, 2026.

The protest was held outside the city’s Metropolitan Detention Center, where immigrants are being confined. Regular demonstrations against immigration raids have taken place in and around LA since June 2025.

Berumen told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was wearing a National Press Photographers Association badge while documenting the protest. As federal authorities left the facility, DHS officers began pushing the crowd back to clear the driveway. Berumen said federal officers deliberately pushed him, but the force was not enough to knock him down or hurt him.

“It was like a gut punch,” he said. “It felt localized to my stomach; that’s where they targeted me.”

As DHS pushed him aside, they arrested a protester standing nearby, which Berumen continued documenting.

In a statement emailed to the Tracker on June 24, DHS said anyone who obstructs law enforcement or disrupts its operations would be prosecuted. It did not address its use of force against members of the press.

“We remind members of the media and the public to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks,” the statement read. “Our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights.”