Los Angeles film office FilmLA has advised filmmakers that areas in and around downtown Los Angeles, specifically near City Hall and the nearby federal building, may be off-limits for productions until further notice as protests against immigration raids continue in the area.
“The City of Los Angeles’ permit authority, LAPD, asked that FilmLA reassure the industry that requests to film on-location will continue to be reviewed and evaluated on a case-by-case basis,” the advisory read. “In the City of Los Angeles and in other jurisdictions, filming is allowed in all areas except those where protest activity is concentrated.”
FilmLA also says that it is unaware of any active productions that have been interrupted by this past weekend’s protests, which have been concentrated around the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) field office and the adjacent Edward R. Roybal Federal Building, both located on the intersection of Los Angeles and Temple St. a block southeast from City Hall.
FilmLA also noted a labor protest being held at City Hall in support of SEIU California president David Huerta, whom the union says was injured and arrested by federal agents while observing the immigration raids. Huerta, a U.S. citizen, was charged with interfering with federal agents and is set to appear in court today, with U.S. Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla sending a letter to the Trump Administration demanding answers as to why he was arrested.
“We are unable to give more specific boundaries for affected areas at this time as the situation is fluid. Care for crew safety is important, as is making room for protected free speech,” FilmLA said.
While FilmLA has reported a major decline in on-location shooting in Los Angeles County, downtown remains a common shooting location, with shows like “9-1-1” and “Suits L.A.” among the recent productions to shoot in the area. Movies such as “L.A. Confidential,” “Inception” and “La La Land” are among those who have also shot in downtown.
Over the weekend, the Trump Administration has launched widespread immigration raids throughout Los Angeles. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a Saturday social media post that it had arrested 118 immigrants during operations in the city last week.
Community groups have deployed rapid response networks as news of the raids spread to warn of federal officials’ presence while protests have been staged outside the USCIS office throughout the weekend. In response to the protests, President Trump called for the deployment of 2,000 members of the California National Guard against the wishes of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who announced that the state would sue the Trump Administration over the deployment.
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