Military-Led ICE Raid in LA Sparks Backlash \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ A major federal immigration raid in Los Angeles’ MacArthur Park involving National Guard troops and tactical officers prompted backlash from local officials and immigrant advocates. Critics labeled it an intimidation tactic under President Trump’s deportation agenda. No arrests were confirmed.
Quick Looks
- Dozens of federal officers and 90 National Guard troops deployed to LA park.
- Operation lasted about an hour in mostly empty MacArthur Park.
- Mayor Karen Bass called it a “political stunt” and compared it to a siege.
- Health workers and children reportedly caught in the middle of the raid.
- Troops included 17 Humvees, 4 tactical vehicles, and armed personnel.
- Community advocates saw it as part of Trump’s immigration crackdown.
- Military described their role as protective, not law enforcement.
- Council President likened the operation to “a TikTok video shoot.”
- 4,000 National Guard troops have been in LA since June.
Deep Look
In a stunning show of federal force, dozens of tactical-clad officers and nearly 90 California National Guard troops descended upon MacArthur Park in Los Angeles on Monday, staging what local leaders and community advocates have described as one of the most aggressive and intimidating immigration operations in recent city memory. While the operation lasted only about an hour and no arrests were immediately confirmed, its impact has reverberated through a city already on edge amid President Donald Trump’s escalating immigration enforcement campaign.
What began as a typical morning in MacArthur Park — a gathering space for immigrant families, local vendors, and outreach workers — quickly turned into what one witness described as “a scene from a war zone.” Military helicopters circled overhead. Seventeen Humvees and four tactical vehicles rumbled into the area. Armed soldiers and federal officers spread across the park’s fields and walkways, prompting widespread panic in a community that has long served as a refuge for immigrants from Mexico, Central America, and beyond.
“This was a show of force — not enforcement,” said Mayor Karen Bass, who visited the scene shortly after the raid began. Visibly shaken, she called it a “political stunt” and condemned the timing and tactics of the operation. “There were children attending day camp in that park,” she said. “What they saw was not public safety. It was military occupation.”
Bass recounted the story of one 8-year-old boy who told her, “he was afraid of ICE,” echoing the fears expressed by families across the neighborhood. She shared video footage of mounted officers sweeping across an empty soccer field, underscoring what she described as the surreal and unnecessary spectacle of the raid.
While defense officials insisted the deployment was not a military operation, they acknowledged that the scale and optics could certainly be interpreted as one. “It’s going to be more overt and larger than we usually participate in,” one official said anonymously, explaining that the primary goal was to protect immigration agents during an unspecified operation. Still, the secrecy surrounding the raid — including a lack of advance notice to local leaders or the public — has drawn harsh criticism from civil rights advocates and lawmakers alike.
Community members who were in the park during the raid described disturbing encounters. Health care workers providing services to homeless individuals reported having guns pointed at them. Immigrant families fled the park in fear, uncertain whether arrests were imminent or if the park had become the latest site of federal detention.
Jeannette Zanipatin, a leader at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, called the raid “pure intimidation.” She argued that the Trump administration is using Los Angeles as a political pawn to showcase its immigration crackdown. “They want to send a message that even in sanctuary cities, no one is safe,” she said.
For city leaders, the raid violated not only civil liberties but also the city’s sovereignty. City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson compared the scene to a film set. “If Border Patrol wants to shoot a video here, apply for a permit like everyone else,” he said. “Stop disrupting our economy and terrifying our residents with these stunts.”
Chris Newman, legal director at the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, described the event as a “reality TV spectacle” designed more for optics than results. “This was not about enforcement,” he said. “This was a demonstration of escalation — a message from the Trump administration that they are willing to use military presence to suppress immigrant visibility.”
The political context of the raid cannot be ignored. Since June, over 4,000 California National Guard troops and hundreds of U.S. Marines have been stationed across Los Angeles, following Trump’s executive order to ramp up immigration enforcement. The move has faced opposition from California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has called the deployment an overreach and a misuse of state resources. Last week, the federal government agreed to return about 200 troops to assist with wildfire response — but thousands remain on the streets.
The setting of the raid, MacArthur Park, is deeply symbolic. The neighborhood surrounding the park is densely populated with immigrants and has served as a cultural and economic hub for decades. On any given day, local vendors sell street food and household goods, while children play soccer and outreach workers assist the homeless. Monday’s operation interrupted this delicate ecosystem, replacing it with militarized force.
Even in the absence of confirmed arrests, the psychological toll of the operation has already been felt. Many local businesses closed for the day. Foot traffic vanished in surrounding immigrant neighborhoods. Newman described it as the “ghost town-ification” of Los Angeles — a fear-based tactic that discourages immigrants from appearing in public, seeking services, or participating in civic life.
The federal government’s refusal to confirm whether the raid achieved any enforcement goals only deepens the sense that the operation was more about intimidation than action. Requests for comment from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have gone unanswered.
As public outrage grows, legal experts are raising questions about the constitutionality of deploying military-style forces for domestic immigration enforcement. The Posse Comitatus Act generally prohibits military involvement in domestic law enforcement, though National Guard units under state or presidential orders can operate in more flexible roles. However, the blurred lines between military presence and civil enforcement — especially in immigrant-heavy urban spaces — have sparked fears of federal overreach.
For now, the community of MacArthur Park is left to recover — from the fear, the disruption, and the uncertainty. While the soldiers may have left, their presence lingers in the minds of children, workers, and families who now wonder when — or where — the next show of force will strike.
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