LA Mayor Karen Bass Condemns Federal Immigration Raids as 'Un-American'

Federal Immigration Operation in MacArthur Park

• 🚨 Mayor Karen Bass describes a federal immigration operation in MacArthur Park as a military-style intervention with helicopters, tanks, and US Marines.
• ⚠️ She argues this deployment is an attempt to "ratchet up chaos" and provoke fear, calling it "outrageous and un-American."
• 🧒 Children attending a summer day camp in the park were reportedly ushered inside to avoid exposure to the troops, with one eight-year-old expressing fear of ICE taking his parents.

Criticism of Federal Tactics

• 🎯 The operation is characterized as a "political agenda of provoking fear and terror," with federal armed vehicles and military units present in a park where children were playing.
• 🚫 Speakers emphasize that there was no protest or disorder requiring such a forceful federal response, suggesting the goal is to "spread fear" and terrorize Angelenos.
• 🏥 A St. John's Community Health street medicine team reported being pointed at with guns and told to leave while attempting to provide aid to the homeless in the park.

City's United Stance Against Raids

• 🤝 The LA City Council, with all 15 members, has condemned the raids and called for ICE to leave the city, reaffirming its status as a sanctuary city.
• 📢 Council members view the operation as a "staging for a TikTok video" rather than legitimate immigration enforcement, urging Border Patrol to apply for film permits instead of scaring residents.
• 💰 The disruption caused by these operations is seen as harming the economy and creating havoc by making people afraid to leave their homes, go to school, or seek medical help.

Broader Implications and Call to Action

• ⚠️ MacArthur Park is described as the "Ellis Island of the West Coast," and its targeting is seen as an attack on resilience, diversity, and the American dream.
• 🏛️ Speakers warn that the federal government's actions, including a new $140 billion budget for ICE, could lead to authoritarianism and that what is happening in Los Angeles could spread to other cities.
• ⚖️ The city plans to file lawsuits and issue an executive directive to combat these federal actions, emphasizing that Los Angeles will continue to support its families and resist these tactics.
• 🗣️ Mayor Bass asserts that she will not get used to federal actions that disrupt the city and that she was elected to lead, not to oversee a federal takeover.