The Guardian has published a revealing investigation into a wave of dropped felony cases against Los Angeles protesters, exposing serious misconduct by federal immigration agents. The article details how U.S. Border Patrol and DHS officers filed misleading or outright false reports about several arrests during mass protests in June—claims that prosecutors used to charge demonstrators with felonies like assaulting federal officers.

But video evidence, defense investigations, and internal DHS reports have since shown that many of those accounts were inaccurate. In several cases, officers allegedly reversed the sequence of events, misidentified defendants, and exaggerated threats, prompting the Justice Department to quietly dismiss or downgrade at least eight felony cases. In some, charges were filed against the wrong person entirely.

This stream of dismissals has embarrassed Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, whose office initially promoted the prosecutions as part of a crackdown on anti-immigration protests. While some misdemeanors have been refiled, none carry the weight of the original felonies, charges that landed people in jail and left lasting marks on their records.

Critics argue that the federal government used charges to intimidate and suppress dissent, especially among Latino U.S. citizens who were protesting aggressive immigration raids. One legal expert called the errors “dangerous” and warned they undermine the credibility of federal prosecutions.

The Guardian’s report is a must-read for anyone following immigration enforcement and protest rights. It reveals systemic flaws in how federal agents handled arrests and raises serious questions about accountability and the politicization of the justice system.