Nov 14, 2023; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass speaks at a press conference on Nov. 14, 2023, after a fire under Interstate 10 severely damaged the overpass in an industrial zone near downtown Los Angeles, Saturday on Nov. 11, 2023. The large blaze burned trailers, cars and other things in storage lots beneath a major highway near downtown Los Angeles, forcing the temporary closure of the roadway. Mandatory Credit: Yannick Peterhans-USA TODAY
Los Angeles, California – Against the backdrop of Placita Olvera, the symbolic heart of Los Angeles’ immigrant history, Mayor Karen Bass signed an executive directive Friday morning aimed at protecting city workers and immigrant communities amid an intensifying federal crackdown.
The move comes just days after heavily armed federal agents swept through MacArthur Park and a Camarillo farm, operations that have drawn condemnation from local officials and sparked widespread protests. Those raids, according to Bass and other city leaders, are part of a broader federal campaign that has grown increasingly militarized in recent weeks.
“There is a need for me to have an executive directive to help our city understand how to protect itself from our federal government,” Bass said, surrounded by advocates from CHIRLA and the Community Coalition. “What we’ve seen over the past six weeks are raids that pop up without warning—raids that feel more like a show of force than law enforcement.”
The directive seeks to provide guidance for city employees, outlining how they should respond if approached by immigration agents. It is, in Bass’s words, a tool to ensure that city departments understand their legal rights and obligations when faced with federal enforcement activity. It also reflects a growing frustration among local officials who say they are being left in the dark about the scope, purpose, and targets of these operations.
According to Bass, even legal residents and U.S. citizens have been detained in the sweeps, leaving their families scrambling for answers. Many don’t know if their loved ones are being held in out-of-state detention centers or if they’ve already been deported. In response, the city plans to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to try to locate those who have disappeared into federal custody.
While the mayor’s directive does not change federal law, it does formalize the city’s stance: Los Angeles will not be a passive participant in what Bass described as a “military-style political stunt” that has left communities frightened and children traumatized. One such operation earlier this week involved armored vehicles, horseback units, and officers in tactical gear descending on a public park, only to leave an hour later with no arrests made. City officials later criticized the spectacle as more reality TV than law enforcement.
The raids began on June 6 and have since spread across Los Angeles and neighboring areas. Governor Gavin Newsom, Mayor Bass, and other leaders have consistently described the protests that followed as largely peaceful, asserting that tensions only escalated after President Trump deployed California National Guard troops and Marines to the region. Trump has framed the deployment as an effort to “liberate” Los Angeles from lawlessness.
For Bass, the executive directive is an act of defiance and preparation. It may not stop federal agents from showing up unannounced, but it gives the city tools to respond with clarity and intention—raising the question that now hangs over every press conference, protest, and policy announcement: will it help?
