Photojournalist shot with rubber bullets by federal officers at LA protest

Freelance photojournalist Ted Soqui was shot in the back with crowd-control munitions by federal officers while covering anti-deportation protests in downtown Los Angeles, California, on June 9, 2025.

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 local 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.

On June 9, Soqui, who has covered protests throughout his decades-long career, was covering demonstrations at LA’s Federal Building, according to a June 18 lawsuit filed by the Los Angeles Press Club against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

The photojournalist had been struck with crowd-control munitions the previous day while covering the protests, so he wore personal protective equipment, positioned himself 50 to 100 feet from the officers and protesters, and only used his long lens to take photos from afar.

When Soqui prepared to leave for the day, federal officers shot him in the back with three rubber bullets in rapid succession, according to the lawsuit.

“Mr. Soqui is certain that the officers who shot him were either ICE or DHS because he saw department patches identifying their departments on their arms, chests, and backs,” the suit said, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security.

The shooting of Soqui was a “misuse of militarized weapons,” it continued. “The way federal agents used rubber bullets here can cause significant and serious harm.”

Soqui did not respond to multiple requests for comment from the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. While his experiences were detailed in the LA Press Club’s lawsuit, he is not listed as a plaintiff.

In a statement emailed to the Tracker, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin urged journalists to be cautious while covering what she characterized as “violent riots,” and added, “President Trump and Secretary Noem are committed to restoring law and order in Los Angeles.”