People I remember at the beginning were like, when I was doing my daily reports, they were like, but this is going to be over in 30 days, right? I'm like, don't count on it. Don't count on it. I mean, you look at history, right? Operation Weptack and the other ones. They deported three million people. They lasted years. Yeah, I think we're at the beginning of it. We're not even like in the middle of it. This is going to go on for a while.

Hello and welcome. Why's this happening with me, your host, Chris Hayes.

Back in June, early June, we saw the first kind of massive deployment of federal agents to a U.S. city for the purposes of aggressive immigration enforcement street raids, people being pulled over while they're walking down the street or in a parking lot or a landscaper

literally with a gardening implement in his hands, right?

Cutting grass.

People in the Home Depot, car washers while they're washing cars.

I mean, this kind of just indiscriminate catch-all, often very aggressive, sometimes downright,

violent approach that has now moved around the country. We've seen images day after day of this in Chicago after the head of

the Border Patrol, who was first in Los Angeles, went to Chicago. There's news out today that Bovino,

the head of Border Patrol, is going to go to Charlotte. But all of this model of aggressive and sometimes violent enforcement against immigrants

was kind of piloted in Los Angeles and hasn't stopped happening there.

So this has continued in Los Angeles.

It has been expanded to other cities.

And that first few weeks in Los Angeles in some some ways, was kind of turning point for this country in many ways. And we're seeing that model now exported. I thought it would be a good time as we're watching this play out in Chicago and watching it play out possibly next in Charlotte. And a lot of fear in the city of New York that this is coming to New York next as soon as the mayor, Lexoramamandani is sworn in on January 1st. That's the expectation. I thought I'd talk to one of the journalists who's done the best job of chronicling and documenting what's been happening in Los Angeles. And it's from a publication that you might not anticipate or expect. Publications called L.A. Taco.

It was founded in 2006 as a food site and a food community.

In 2018, they relaunched and kept their emphasis on food and culture, but also as a news site.

And they have become one of the most incredible resources for anyone trying to follow what's happening with immigration

raids in Los Angeles.

They've been doing incredible reporting and aggregation of the observations of folks who are

sending in multimedia and videos and firsthand accounts.

Memo Torres is a multimedia journalist and director of engagement in LA Taco.

He hosts the Daily Memo, a podcast, and he's been doing a lot of the chronicling there. Memo, it's great to having the program.

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