LOS ANGELES – Mayor Bass issued the following statement responding to federal activity in MacArthur Park this morning. Mayor Bass held a press conference (footage will be available here) with Council President Harris-Dawson and Councilmember Hernandez responding to this activity
“This morning, I went to MacArthur Park where I saw federal agents, military vehicles and federalized troops – another example of the administration ratcheting up the chaos by deploying what looked like a military operation in our American city. It is very important to me that the truth be told to the American people about what happened here: children were at summer camp when federal agents descended on the park. What I saw today looked like a city under siege and under occupation.
“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. It’s clear that this is all part of a political agenda to terrorize immigrants and signal that they need to stay at home when there are entire sectors of our economy that rely on immigrant workers.
“The White House is continuing its all out assault on our American city, and the administration continues to try to silence us with threats of arrest, lawsuits and funding cuts.
“I will continue to tell the truth. And all of us in LA will continue to stand together – with our unity only growing stronger.”