LOS ANGELES – City and county officials escalated their political and legal response to federal immigration enforcement operations on July 8 after armed agents and military vehicles converged on MacArthur Park the previous day, marking one month of sustained immigration raids across the region.
Mayor Karen Bass condemned what she described as a “military operation” in the city while County Supervisor Hilda Solis called the MacArthur Park operation “deeply alarming” and announced new legal actions against federal immigration practices.
Federal immigration agents and National Guard troops staged a heavily armed operation at Los Angeles’ MacArthur Park on Monday, drawing swift condemnation from city and county officials. Armored vehicles, mounted officers, and masked agents swept through the park—home to a large immigrant community—while a Department of Homeland Security helicopter circled overhead.
The protests began in Los Angeles after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents raided several city locations starting June 6, leading to sustained demonstrations and the deployment of federal troops to the area.
Solis said armed military personnel on horses and in tactical gear arrived at MacArthur Park just minutes after children had been playing in the area, forcing them to be “quickly ushered into a nearby facility, frightened and confused.”
“This morning’s show of force is a chilling reminder that the Trump administration continues to target and terrorize our communities under the guise of enforcement,” Solis said in a statement Monday.
On July 1, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors and the Los Angeles City Council both voted to pursue lawsuits against ICE to stop the raids or at least provide warrants and due process. Solis outlined her efforts over the past month to counter federal immigration operations through county actions.
The supervisor introduced three motions since the operations began: authorizing county legal counsel to join court challenges to the federalization of the National Guard and Marine deployment on June 10, directing economic assistance for affected families and businesses on June 17, and launching legal action against “unconstitutional immigration enforcement practices” on July 1.
Solis allocated $100,000 in emergency funding to support El Monte Cares, an initiative addressing food insecurity for families afraid to leave their homes due to increased enforcement. The county also funded its RepresentLA legal assistance program with $5.5 million for this fiscal year.
Bass described the federal presence at MacArthur Park as resembling a city under occupation, emphasizing that children were at summer camp when agents arrived with military vehicles.
“To have armored vehicles deployed on the streets of our city, to federalize the National Guard, to have the U.S. Marines who are trained to kill abroad, deployed to our city – all of this is outrageous and it is un-American,” Bass said.
President Donald Trump ordered about 700 active-duty Marines to join the National Guard troops previously deployed to the city, actions that spurred legal pushback from California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, who represents neighborhoods within areas affected by enforcement, said the city is “committed to supporting Downtown L.A. residents, small businesses, and workers while standing proudly with our immigrant communities.”
The MacArthur Park deployment occurred in the Westlake district, which serves a predominantly immigrant community. The park’s recreational facilities are frequently used by local families and children attending summer programs.
The political response reflects broader tensions between local Los Angeles officials and federal immigration enforcement that have intensified over the past month, with both county and city governments pursuing legal challenges and expanding support services for immigrant communities.
