Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and several other L.A.-area mayors condemned the ICE raids happening in their region, saying residents are living in fear.
“A week ago, everything was peaceful in the city of Los Angeles. … Things began to be difficult on Friday when raids took place, and it’s important that I begin there because that is the cause of the problems that have happened in the city of Los Angeles and other cities,” Bass said at a news conference today. “This was provoked by the White House.”
Bass slammed the Trump administration for trying to cause “fear and panic,” adding that deploying military and National Guard troops was a “drastic and chaotic escalation and completely unnecessary.”
Other city leaders agreed.
“No one deserves to live in fear simply for seeking a better life or for seeking a better life for themselves or their loved ones,” Ventura Mayor Jeannette Sanchez-Palacios said.
Bass, L.A.-area mayors say raids are creating atmosphere of fear, continued
Paramount Mayor Peggy Lemons said her community has been “deeply shaken” by the raids and some people are avoiding going to work out of fear.
Mario Trujillo, a council member in the city of Downey, said there were raids this morning and an elderly man was detained while dropping off his granddaughter at school.
“These raids at Home Depots, restaurants, places of worship or schools are not keeping our community safe,” he said. “They are creating havoc and fear. This is not the way to provide public safety to the community.”
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., pressed Hegseth about a “double standard” when responding to protesters who support Trump versus those who oppose him.
Murphy pointed to Trump’s response to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and asked Hegseth whether it was the right decision to deploy the National Guard to respond to Jan. 6.
“All I know is it’s the right decision to be deploying the National Guard in Los Angeles to defend ICE agents who deserve to be defended in the execution of their jobs,” Hegseth responded.
When asked again, Hegseth said that he supported Trump’s request for the National Guard on Jan. 6 but claimed that his request was denied.
The Jan. 6 committee did not find evidence to support Trump’s claim that he offered then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi National Guard troops.
After the attack on the Capitol, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said that the Army secretary had been responsible for making decisions related to the National Guard’s response. Months after the attack, two senior U.S. military officials involved in the Jan. 6 response denied that they advised against the deployment of the National Guard.
