LOS ANGELES (CNS) – On the same day that Mayor Karen Bass and Westside leaders called for the end of immigration raids throughout the city, federal agents Thursday conducted a widespread operation in Little Tokyo.
U.S. Immigration and Customers Enforcement and Border Patrol agents began their operation in downtown, just outside the Japanese American Cultural Center in Little Tokyo, where Gov. Gavin Newsom delivered a speech about a congressional redistricting map plan in response to Texas’ redistricting effort.
U.S. Border Patrol Sector Commander Gregory Bovino told reporters the agency was conducting roving immigration enforcement patrols in the area. One individual was taken into custody, Bovino said.
“Know we’re here making Los Angeles a safer place since we don’t have politicians that’ll do that. We do that ourselves. So, that’s why we’re here today, as you can see already, making it a safer place,” Bovino told FOX LA. “We’re glad to be here. We are not going anywhere.”
Bovino added that he didn’t know Gov. Newsom was inside the cultural center hosting a news conference.
On social media, Newsom’s office shared a video of Bovino and Border Patrol agents outside the cultural center. The social media post read: “Donald Trump has sent armed agents to our rally. We will not be intimated.”
Arriving at Little Tokyo after ICE agents departed, Bass criticized the federal government for their raid.
“There is no way this was a coincidence,” Bass told reporters. “This was widely publicized that the governor and many of our other elected officials were having a press conference here to talk about redistricting, and they decided they were going to come and thumb their nose in front of the governor’s face. Why would they do that?”
She called the federal government’s actions “unbelievably disrespectful” and what she deemed a “provocative act.”
“They’re talking about disorder in Los Angeles, and they are the source of the disorder in Los Angeles right now,” Bass added. “This is just completely unacceptable. This is an administration, and Customs and Border Patrol that has gone amok.”
It was unclear the total number of people who were detained by federal agents.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem addressed the raid during an appearance on Fox News as video of the operation was shown.
“Every single one of our ICE and Border Patrol operations is built on information, on investigative work,” Noem said.
She said an operation is planned “because of who they think could be in that area and what they have for information that shows there are illegal criminals there. Remember we’re focusing on the worst of the worst.”
Noem said she didn’t know specifics about the Los Angeles raid outside Newsom’s event, “but it was based on the investigative work that all law enforcement officers do for every single operation they conduct to make sure they’re getting dangerous criminals off our streets.”
Earlier Thursday, Bass joined Westside leaders to reiterate their call for the federal government to end immigration raids throughout the city, which have continued despite a federal court order limiting the scope of immigration enforcement operations in the area.
Bass reiterated the federal government’s aggressive and widespread immigration enforcement tactics are impacting every community in Los Angeles. She emphasized that Angelenos will remain united as a city of immigrants.
“Every part of the city has felt the impact of these raids and our local economy has taken a major blow because of it. By standing together, we have won clear victories in the courts that have shown that these raids are unconstitutional and we will continue to hold this administration accountable,” Bass said.
Fifth District City Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, who represents West L.A. neighborhoods, joined Bass alongside a group of women leaders, attorneys, faith leaders and residents, who echoed Bass’ message.
“These raids are not isolated to one part of our city. They affect all of us,” Yaroslavsky said in a statement. “Los Angeles has been clear eyed about what is happening from day one, and has taken every action available to us to stop them and protect our communities. This has always been a city of immigrants, of dreamers, of people building better futures.”
ICE agents began enforcement operations in the region on June 6. In July, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order preventing the government from stopping individuals in violation of the Fourth Amendment and requiring the government to provide detained individuals with access to counsel.
The federal government appealed the ruling, but a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to put a stay on the ruling. The federal government has appealed the issue to the U.S. Supreme Court.
ICE raids have increased in the city.
Last week, ICE and the Department of Homeland Security conducted a raid at a Home Depot on Wilshire Boulevard, where agents hid in a Penske truck and descended on day laborers at the site.
On X, U.S. Attorney for Los Angeles Bill Essayli acknowledged the operation, writing, “For those who thought immigration enforcement had stopped in Southern California, think again. The enforcement of federal law is not negotiable, and there are no sanctuaries from the reach of the federal government.”
Essayli defended the raid as being within the scope of reasonable suspicion.
On Monday, Los Angeles Unified School District officials reported that a 15-year-old boy with disabilities was placed in handcuffs by Border Patrol agents in what was described as a case of mistaken identity. The boy was waiting with his grandmother in their vehicle while a relative was signing up for classes at Arleta High School.
DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But in a social media post, DHS wrote, “Allegations that Border Patrol targeted Arleta High School are FALSE. Agents were conducting a targeted operation on criminal illegal alien Cristian Alexander Vasquez-Alvarenga — a Salvadoran national and suspected MS-13 pledge with prior criminal convictions in the broader vicinity of Arleta.”
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