OAN Staff Blake Wolf and Brooke Mallory
5:04 PM – Tuesday, July 8, 2025
Federal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and the National Guard conducted an immigration raid at MacArthur Park in Los Angeles on Monday, prompting more criticism from Los Angeles Democrat Mayor Karen Bass.
Roughly 90 California National Guard troopers accompanied the immigration officers in a defensive capacity as protestors gathered and threw projectiles at government vehicles.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not reveal whether anyone was detained as a result of the raid, or why the park was chosen specifically.
Advertisement
“What I saw in the park today looked like a city under siege, under armed occupation,” Bass stated after showing up at the park alongside protestors.
Bass shared a video of the raid in an X post, writing: “Minutes before, there were more than 20 kids playing – then, the MILITARY comes through.”
“The SECOND I heard about this, I went to the park to speak to the person in charge to tell them it needed to end NOW. Absolutely outrageous,” she added.
Despite Bass’ outrage, conservative social media users began sharing footage taken at MarArthur Park, arguing that the park is not a fun play area full of children, but rather, a playground for drug-addicted “zombies.”
Journalists and public health reporters have highlighted those at the park who openly take drugs—often fentanyl—occasionally passing out on sidewalks or in alleys around the park. Outreach workers also frequently encounter burned tin foil and butane torches, with reported overdoses occurring daily.
“This is MacArthur Park!! Children don’t play here!!! It’s full of drug addicts overdosing. Children would love to play here but you have enabled drug addicts and criminals. You’re a communist,” one user responded alongside video footage of drug addicts in the park.
Meanwhile, Governor Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) claimed that the latest raid was “a demonstration of escalation,” and a “reality TV spectacle much more so than an actual enforcement operation.”
The raid comes in the wake of President Donald Trump’s approval of the expansive “One Big, Beautiful” spending bill, which allocates over $100 billion to ICE in support of the administration’s large-scale campaign to deport illegal aliens.
Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino soon responded to Bass’ calls for an end to the raids, stating: “I don’t work for Karen Bass.”
“Better get used to us now, cause this is going to be normal very soon. We will go anywhere, anytime we want in Los Angeles,” he added.
Responding to Bovino’s comment, Bass declared that she is not “going to get used to it, because last I checked, I was elected to be mayor of this city. That did not include federal takeover.”
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
