Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass stated on Wednesday that fear will not be weaponized against the city’s residents.
“We will not use fear as a weapon against Angelenos; this will empower our city,” Bass expressed in a post on Social Platform X.
She emphasized her administration’s collaboration with community organizations, legal advocates, and local leaders to ensure that all residents are aware of their rights and have necessary support. “The city stands united,” she added.
Earlier that day, Bass characterized an attack as a form of “political retaliation” directed at residents of Democratic cities.
“This fear can paralyze communities. We’ve seen it before. Families have been torn apart unexpectedly, with children terrified to go to school. Don’t disguise it as public safety; it’s political retaliation,” she remarked.
Tom Homan, a former border official under President Trump, mentioned that protests in Los Angeles have made ICE operations more “difficult” and “dangerous.”
“We resemble a third world country that thinks it’s acceptable to endanger the lives of federal law enforcement and their families,” Homan stated during his appearance on NBC Nightly News.
On Monday, Bass remarked that an immigrant raid had caused significant disruption the previous night.
“If the raid hadn’t occurred here, there wouldn’t have been any lasting problems,” she told CNN’s “The Situation Room.”
“I’m hoping for peace now, but it’s hard to say when or where another attack might come,” she added.
Later on Tuesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom called out President Trump in a video address after the Trump administration sent thousands of National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles to manage immigration protests.
Newsom noted that while California is familiar with immigration enforcement, the current administration seems to indiscriminately target hardworking immigrant families, regardless of their backgrounds or circumstances, rather than focusing on those with criminal histories or deportation orders.
