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At a troubled fashion company, workers found community. Then ICE came
A woman holds her hands together as if praying while journalists stick microphones out toward her
Perla Rios and other family members of detained factory workers speak to the media and supporters Monday outside Ambiance Apparel.
(Luke Johnson / Los Angeles Times)
By Brittny Mejia and Anita Chabria
June 10, 2025 3 AM PT
Ambiance Apparel was one of four businesses raided by ICE on Friday, igniting a weekend of civil unrest in Los Angeles.
More than 40 immigrant workers at Ambiance were arrested. Many family members of those taken by ICE have had little or no contact with them.
Saraí Ortiz’s father Jose worked 18 years for Ambiance Apparel, rising to become a floor manager at the sprawling fast-fashion warehouse in downtown Los Angeles.
His tenure ended Friday, when federal authorities raided the company, arresting Jose Ortiz and more than 40 other immigrant workers as Saraí watched.
“You know this is a possibility all your life, but then when it happens, it plays out differently than what you think,” she said Monday, standing in front of the wrought iron fencing of Ambiance’s parking lot.
Ambiance was one of four businesses raided by ICE on Friday, igniting a weekend of civil unrest that has led to the controversial deployment of the National Guard and active-duty Marines in Los Angeles. It was also the site of the arrest of labor leader David Huerta, who was released Monday on a $50,000 bond.
Ortiz was joined at a protest Monday by other families of those detained, making a public plea for help and due process. Many of the wives and children of those taken by ICE — all men — have had little or no contact with their loved ones. Even lawyers have been denied access, they said.
Los Angeles, CA - June 08: Protesters clash with police downtown near the VA Outpatient Clinic on Sunday, June 8, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.(Luke Johnson / Los Angeles Times)
California
Union leader David Huerta released from custody
June 9, 2025
Many are also from the Indigenous communities in the central Mexican region of Zacatecas. They have formed tight bonds as they started new lives in Los Angeles, including helping others to find jobs at Ambiance, a company that has a history of run-ins with federal law enforcement, but also one that provided steady work for immigrants, including Ortiz.
“Ambiance complies with the law when it hires employees and it has always only hired people it believes have the legal right to work in the United States,” said Benjamin Gluck, a lawyer representing Ambiance. “We have reached out to the government to try to learn more about this raid but have not yet learned anything more about it. Ambiance will continue to both follow the law and support its employees, many of whom have been with us for decades.”
Although it’s unclear why Ambiance Apparel was targeted in the recent operation, the company landed on the radar of federal authorities more than a decade ago.
In 2014, law enforcement authorities executed dozens of search warrants as part of an investigation into money laundering and other crimes at Fashion District businesses. Federal authorities seized nearly $36 million in cash from Ambiance and the company’s owner, Sang Bum “Ed” Noh, according to a 2020 news release from the U.S. attorney’s office in L.A.
The company, which was incorporated in 1999, was described by prosecutors as an importer and exporter of textiles and garments from China, Vietnam, Cambodia and elsewhere. Among its customers were retail apparel chains and people who owned small businesses, mostly in Mexico. Its goods can also be found on Amazon, and in Walmart.
Federal prosecutors filed charges against Ambiance Apparel and Noh in 2020, accusing them of undervaluing imported garments and avoiding paying millions of dollars in tariffs to the U.S.
Among those investigating Ambiance and Noh were Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as well as local law enforcement agencies including the Los Angeles and Long Beach police departments.
The company was also accused of failing to report cash payments to employees.
The government contended that Ambiance employees received “approximately 364 payments of more than $10,000 over a two-year period,” totaling more than $11 million. But the company failed to file the required reports on those cash transactions to the federal government, prosecutors said.