Federal agents conduct immigration raid in Los Angeles despite fierce opposition from Democrat mayor

Federal agents, accompanied by members of the National Guard, were conducting an immigration raid in Los Angeles on Monday, according to images on social media.

The operation targeted an area near MacArthur Park, an area with a large immigrant population, in the city’s Westlake neighborhood, which is heavily Hispanic and has a heavy MS-13 influence. 

U.S. Border Patrol agents were seen on horseback in the park.

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Mayor Karen Bass, who has been a vocal opponent of immigration raids in the city, appeared at the scene and demanded to speak with ICE leadership. 

“They need to leave, and they need to leave right now. They need to leave because this is unacceptable!” Bass said at the scene. 

Protesters began showing up in the area, with reports of a tire on a federal vehicle being slashed and objects thrown at vehicles.

Bass has called for the Trump administration to end immigration enforcement in her city, calling the operations “inhumane.”

“What is happening in Los Angeles is not normal. It is not normal to send in the National Guard without a request from the governor,” she wrote Sunday on X. “It is not normal to conduct indiscriminate raids on our immigrant population. Let LA return to normal. Get the National Guard out.”

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Fox News Digital has reached out to Bass’ office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

A senior DHS official told Fox News Digital: “We don’t comment on ongoing enforcement operations.”

Opponents of the raids have accused federal agents of using heavy tactics to take illegal immigrants into custody. 

Community leaders reported incidents of ICE appearing at elementary school graduations, disrupting the legitimate immigration processes at various courthouses, and aggressively raiding workplaces and locations like Home Depot, Fox Los Angeles reported. 

The operations, perceived as arbitrary and invasive, sparked outrage among opponents, resulting in various large-scale demonstrations across Los Angeles County.

In June, protesters rioted and clashed with authorities for several days amid outrage over immigration raids in the region. President Donald Trump federalized the National Guard and ordered the deployment of Marines to the city, leading to heavy criticism from local and state officials, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom.