Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass pushed back strongly against a threat of arrest from a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson after she appeared during a surprise immigration enforcement operation in MacArthur Park on Monday. The area, located in a heavily immigrant neighborhood, was swarmed by armed federal agents wearing tactical gear and face masks — a scene Bass described as looking like a city “before a coup.”
Bass said she received no advance notice of the operation and rushed to the park after receiving urgent messages. Upon arrival, she said she witnessed heavily armed agents, including some in plainclothes jumping out of unmarked vehicles and detaining people, even disrupting a children’s summer camp.
“It is my job to keep Angelenos safe,” Bass said. “I never thought I’d have to protect them from my own government.” She expressed concern that the raid stoked fear and confusion, with many thinking they were witnessing kidnappings rather than a law enforcement operation.
The mayor said she tried to get clarity on which agencies were involved but received conflicting reports. While she confirmed Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents were present, she said there were rumors the National Guard and Marines were also involved — though that hasn’t been verified.
During an appearance on MSNBC’s All In with Chris Hayes, Bass responded to DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, who said the idea of arresting the mayor for interfering with the operation was “on the table.” Bass laughed off the notion: “They’re going to arrest me for doing my job as mayor?”
She also responded to comments from Southern California Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino, who asserted that the federal government “doesn’t work for Karen Bass.” Bass fired back, saying, “Last I checked, all of us work for the American people.”
Bass denied interfering with the raid, insisting her presence was to demand transparency and accountability: “Why are you in this park, where nothing was happening, dragging people off the street with guns? That’s not public safety — that’s intimidation.”
