Mayor Karen Bass Confronts Federal Agents as Massive Immigration Raid Unfolds in Los Angeles’ MacArthur Park
Federal agents launched a sweeping immigration enforcement operation in downtown Los Angeles on Monday, igniting a dramatic standoff with Mayor Karen Bass, who rushed to the scene to denounce the raid and demand its immediate end.
The raid unfolded in the heart of MacArthur Park, a densely populated neighborhood long considered a hub for immigrant communities. Witnesses described an overwhelming show of force, with hundreds of federal officers and military personnel, including Border Patrol agents on horseback, flooding the area. Armored vehicles and tactical units were also spotted as authorities moved through the streets.
Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin, who reported live from the scene, characterized the operation as “one of the largest yet” in Los Angeles, noting the area’s reputation for MS-13 gang activity. On the social platform X, Melugin shared footage showing the scale of the enforcement effort, writing, “Mayor Bass has demanded raids stop, Feds respond with one of the largest yet, including Border Patrol agents on horseback. Protesters already showing up.”
Shortly after arriving, Mayor Bass confronted federal officers directly. Video shows her speaking with a Border Patrol agent, who handed her a phone call from what appeared to be a superior. According to local affiliate KTTV, Bass could be heard asking, “They have completed their mission here,” followed by pressing, “What’s the timeframe before they leave?”
When later approached by reporters at the scene, Bass did not mince words. “They need to leave and they need to leave right now, because this is unacceptable,” she declared, underscoring her opposition to federal immigration sweeps in the sanctuary city she leads.
The tense operation comes on the heels of escalating clashes between Los Angeles officials and federal authorities over immigration enforcement. Just last month, waves of protests and riots erupted in the city after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations intensified. The conflict reached a boiling point during a press conference with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, when California Senator Alex Padilla was physically removed after interrupting her remarks in protest.
Secretary Noem at the time defended the Biden administration’s aggressive stance, saying, “We are not going away. We are staying here to liberate this city from the socialists and the burdensome leadership that this governor and mayor have placed on this country and what they’ve tried to insert in this city.”
Her remarks drew backlash from state and local leaders, but federal officials have remained adamant about continuing enforcement in Los Angeles and beyond. Noem later revealed that she confronted Padilla directly after his removal, saying, “We sat down for 10 to 15 minutes and talked about the fact that nobody knew who he was. He didn’t say who he was until he had already been lunging forward, and people were trying to detain him.”
On Monday, as Bass clashed with federal agents in MacArthur Park, Tom Homan, the White House’s border czar, doubled down on the administration’s strategy. Speaking to reporters, he vowed to expand operations in sanctuary cities, naming New York City as the next major target.
“We’re going to be in New York City and President Trump said it two weeks ago,” Homan said. “We’re going to double down and triple down on sanctuary cities. Why? Not because they’re a blue city or a blue state… because we know that’s where the problem is.”
Homan argued that jurisdictions refusing to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement were releasing “public safety threats and national security threats” into communities. He drew comparisons to Florida, where he said “every sheriff in the state is working with us,” contrasting it with cities like Los Angeles.
“I’ve said it before, we’ll flood the zone on sanctuary cities,” Homan added. “If they don’t let us arrest a bad guy in the county jail, they’re going to arrest them in the community, we’re going to arrest them at a work site. We’re going to get the bad guys, so if they don’t want to help, get out of the way, we’re coming to do it.”
The MacArthur Park raid has already become a flashpoint in the national debate over immigration enforcement. For federal officials, it represents a show of strength and a refusal to bend to political resistance. For Mayor Bass and Los Angeles leaders, it underscores what they describe as federal overreach and a disruption to immigrant communities who already live under daily fear of enforcement.
As protesters continued to gather Monday night and city officials pressed for answers, the clash in Los Angeles signaled that the battle over sanctuary cities is far from over — and that the conflict between local governments and federal immigration authorities is likely to intensify in the weeks ahead.
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