A number of federal officers in tactical equipment supported by 90 National Guard members in California and Konvoj 17 Humvees, on Monday (July 7) attacked Los Angeles’ Macarthur Park in a surprising immigration operation that had the inhabitants stun and outrage.
For about an hour, the soldiers swept through mostly empty park – located in the dense neighborhood of immigrants west of the center – in what officials have described as a show of protection for immigration coercive agents. If the arrest has been arrested, it remains unclear.
“This morning it looked like a show for a video tiktok,” said the President of the Los Angeles Marqueece Harris-Dawson. “If Border Patrol wants to shoot in LA, you should ask for a film permit like everyone else – and stop trying to scare Bejesus of all.”
The city of the mayor slashes under the siege ‘
Mayor Karen Bass condemned the show of Forces as a “political stuntman”, visibly shaken when she described the impact on families in the park.
“What I saw in the park today looked like a city under the siege, under the armed occupation,” Bass said.
“The world must see the formation of troops on horses walking through the park … where children play.”
She added that a frightened eight -year -old boy attending a nearby daily camp told her that she was afraid of ice agents.
Local leaders condemn targeting at the immigration district
The raid took place in the neighborhood long known for its live community immigrants – called officials as “Ellis Island on the West Coast” for their concentration of Mexican, Central American and Asian families.
A member of the Eunisses Council Hernandez, whose district includes a park, said the area was focused “precisely because of those who live there and what it represents”.
Healthcare staff said they were confronted with federal officers when working with homeless residents. Sellers and locals fled from the area when the helicopters circled over their heads and mounted units sweeping football fields.
“It’s terror a, you know, it tears the heart and soul from Los Angeles,” said Betsy Bolte, a nearby resident who threw herself on the scene. “I’m still in shock, distrust and so angry and frightened and broken heart.”
Operations escalate Trump’s deportation drive
President Donald Trump, who deployed thousands of soldiers and active Marines to Los Angeles last month, accelerated efforts to fulfill his promise of mass deportations. Monday’s raid follows the waves of immigration arrests and a hard attitude against the so -called “Holy Cities”.
“It is not about being after dangerous criminals,” said Governor California Gavin Newsom. “This is the destruction of the structure of this condition.”
Newsom described the military commitment as a “spectacle” that undermines the values and autonomy of California.
“Real estate television spectacle”
Legal advocates claim that the raid felt more like a media stuntman than serious coercive measures.
“It was a TV show of reality much more than real recovery operations,” said Chris Newman, legal director of the National Day Laborer organizational network.
“The ghosts of the city city of La are chasing, at least.”
Federal officials claimed that the soldiers were there to protect immigration officers from potential riots, not arrests – although they admitted that the operation could “look like” a military maneuver.
Also read | Elon Musk Trolls Donald Trump over the Epstein Escalates Online Feud (Tagstotranslate) Macarthur Park (T) MacArthur Park Los Angeles (T) Immigration Operation (T) Federal Officers in Tactical Equipment (T) 90 California National Guard Members (T) 17 Humvees (T) Governor (T) President Donald Trump Donald Trump Donald Trump
