WATCH LIVE: Will Cain reacts to ICE agents sounding the alarm about leftist violence
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New York Post
33 minutes ago
- New York Post
Federal agents stormed LA's MacArthur Park to root out MS-13 gangbangers — before Mayor Karen Bass confronted them: sources
Immigration agents who flooded a Los Angeles park on Monday said they were there as a 'show of force' to protect residents from MS-13 gangbangers and open air drug markets — before they were furiously confronted by Mayor Karen Bass. The grandstanding Democratic mayor tried to banish the ICE and Border Patrol officials, who descended on MacArthur Park Monday, in a chaotic scene, blasting the operation as 'un-American.' But ICE and Border Patrol sources told The Post that they were there to try and help clean up the park, which has long been plagued by gang activity, homelessness and drug addicts overdosing on fentanyl and animal tranquilizers. 'This pisses me off. She is scared for the kid's safety … due to immigration officials at the park, but never scared for their safety when the park is filled with homeless, drugs, MS-13 and violence,' a federal law enforcement source fumed. 'Make it make sense,' they added. 'That park is very famous, but full of druggies, homeless and people selling fake documents,' said another fed source, adding that Bass 'wants to stay relevant, but we're not going anywhere.' Last August, Bass visited the park after the owner of Langer's Deli, Norm Langer, threatened to shut the doors of his popular eatery after almost 80 years in business due to safety concerns, the LA Times reported. The mayor even admitted she was aware of businesses in the area having to 'essentially pay gang members' in order to stay open. 'I'm not an attorney, but it sounds like extortion to me, and it needs to be addressed immediately,' she said at the time. A local security guard also told the LA Times that he often faces violent interactions with drug addicts — and carries Narcan in his pocket to revive overdose victims. 'I've had knives pulled on me, I've had people try to stab me with a screwdriver, and just the other day I got hit with a wooden bat,' Gabriel Sanchez said. 3 Gang related graffiti marking territory is seen in MacArthur Park. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images 3 Bass showed up at the federal operation as agents attempted to clear the park. AP Almost a year after Bass promised to clean up MacArthur Park, she berated the presence of federal law enforcement officers, yelling at the agents on Monday to leave and stop their 'political stunt.' 'What I saw in the park today looked like a city under siege,' the mayor told reporters following the confrontation. 'It's outrageous and un-American to have armed vehicles in our American parks.' 3 Horse-mounted Border Patrol agents joined ICE in MacArthur Park. AP Bass said Monday's operation disrupted a children's summer camp, which corralled the kids into a nearby basement during the sweep. Members of the St. John's Community Health Center, who were conducting their daily checkups with homeless people in the park, were also pushed out, officials said. 'Minutes before, there were more than 20 kids playing — then, the MILITARY comes through,' Bass vented on X, posting a time-lapse video of the agents marching across an empty soccer field inside the park. 'The SECOND I heard about this, I went to the park to speak to the person in charge to tell them it needed to end NOW. Absolutely outrageous. 'I think the goal is to spread fear,' Bass added of Monday's operation, as she vowed to uphold the city's status as a sanctuary for immigrants. Bass' office didn't immediately respond to The Post's request for comment.
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Why do ICE agents wear masks and how it's eroding public confidence in some communities
Videos of heavily armed individuals with covered faces and in plainclothes forcibly apprehending immigrants on the street, at workplaces or following court hearings have become common on social media. Federal authorities say that the masks are needed to protect agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies from being doxed. But others argue the use of masks has created confusion and chaos in some communities. Immigration: 'It is a setup': ICE arrests migrants after their hearings at El Paso federal courthouse "My concern with masks and law enforcement that don't have clear identifier is that it does not make a community safer," U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, said. "It creates conditions where bad actors can mimic the use of force and the taking of people off the street. That is very risky behavior for communities." ICE agents with masked faces and in street clothes have been filmed pointing guns at citizens in California as they carryout arrests of both U.S. citizens and immigrants. The anonymous masked arrests and disappearance of migrants has shattered the already fragile confidence in law enforcement in communities across the country and broken constitutional rights, said Michael Sierra-Arévalo, a sociologist and author of the book "The Danger Imperative: Violence, Death, and the Soul of Policing." "We have a tradition that we have the ability legally to hold the state accountable for when the state, whether it be police officers or state official, violates our constitutionally protected rights," Sierra-Arévalo said. "Obscuring one's face, refusing to identify oneself, covering or removing one's name badge as an officer, an agent of the state, prevents those mechanisms of accountability from working. And fundamentally, it undermines the ability for the public to trust and not only it's police but it's government." More: DHS places new limitations on congressional oversight, as concern grows over ICE facilities Federal agents must identify themselves and their agencies, according to laws governing immigration enforcement. The New York City Bar Association claims the use of masks violates rules, pointing to Title 8 of the U.S. Code, which states that at "the time of the arrest, the designated immigration officer shall, as soon as it is practical and safe to do so ... identify himself or herself as an immigration officer who is authorized to make the arrest." More: "This is worrying": Remittance tax would take money needed to support migrant families "The decision to begin concealing the faces of law enforcement agents who are carrying out arrests and detentions appears to be an effort to evade accountability," the association said. The lack of clear identifiers and the aggressive actions by federal agents raise concerns over the possibility of escalations and violence as fear takes hold in communities. "It's a disaster waiting to happen," Sierra-Arévalo said. The Trump administration has shifted federal agents to focus on immigration enforcement, deploying agents from the ICE, the Department of Homeland Security's investigative unit alongside agents from the U.S. Border Patrol and the FBI. Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin posted on the social media X that ICE agents have faced a "500% increase in assaults." 'When our heroic law enforcement officers conduct operations, they clearly identify themselves as police while wearing masks to protect themselves from being targeted by known and suspected terrorist sympathizers," a DHS spokesperson said when asked about the use of face masks. More: El Paso money service providers join lawsuit against new U.S. Treasury Department order The anonymous DHS spokesperson went on to criticize the press for focusing on the use of masks. They did not respond to concerns over the public confidence in federal agents. El Paso County leaders condemned the language of "terrorism" being applied to immigration enforcement. "This administration purposely conflates people who are in this country without authorization with immigrants in general, and then conflates immigrants with criminals and terrorists," El Paso County Commissioner David Stout said. "This rhetorical sleight of hand constitutes a big lie — that immigrants, authorized or not, pose the type of danger that warrants turning our country and our values and our constitutional protections inside out." The state of California is pursuing legislation that would make it a misdemeanor for local, state and federal law enforcement officers to cover the face. It also would require officers to wear identification at all times. The "No Secret Police Act" was proposed by state Sen. Jesse Arreguín, D-Berkeley and Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco on June 16. 'The recent federal operations in California have created an environment of profound terror," Wiener said in a statement. "If we want the public to trust law enforcement, we cannot allow them to behave like secret police in an authoritarian state." Borderland: 'Mexico embraces you' shelter in Juárez stands ready, but few migrants arrive to fill it El Paso County adopted a resolution to call on the federal government to respect constitutional norms and that prohibits the use of masks. The resolution follows other Texas counties, including Hayes and Travis counties, which have adopted similar declarations. "I would consider masked agents with guns, unmarked vehicles, and paramilitary gear roaming neighborhoods and grabbing people from workplaces, homes, courts and even schools and churches to be contrary to basic American freedom," Stout said. Jeff Abbott covers the border for the El Paso Times and can be reached at:jdabbott@ @palabrasdeabajo on Twitter or @ on Bluesky. This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: ICE agents are wearing masks in raids, experts raise concerns
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Dem Rep. Pramila Jayapal calls it ‘inspiring' when she sees groups obstruct ICE
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said in a new interview that she is most inspired when she sees people obstructing ICE. 'Some of the most inspiring things have been when people encircle courtrooms and refuse to allow ICE agents in,' Jayapal said during a conversation with Joy Reid on Friday's episode of 'The Joy Reid Show.' Advertisement 'There are all kinds of nonviolent resistance tactics that we have to use,' Jayapal added. 'And I've started something called Resistance Lab… It's a training on really the documented most effective ways to counter democratic backsliding, nonviolent resistance tactics to build that movement.' The Resistance Lab website, which includes a page on Jayapal's new book, 'USE THE POWER YOU HAVE: A Brown Woman's Guide to Politics and Political Change,' is advertising a 'Virtual Organizing Training 1.0' on July 13. The website says that Jayapal 'knew we need a way to turn our anger, fear, and frustration into action and progress. That's exactly why she launched The Resistance Lab, an in-depth organizing training to build our movement and give you the tools you need in this moment. The scary truth is that democracies fall in a matter of months. So this is an immediate, urgent matter – and we need to quickly build our capacity to resist.' Advertisement 'We've already trained over 10,000 people in all 50 states,' Jayapal told Reid. On 'The Joy Reid Show,' Rep. Pramila Jayapal told the ex-MSNBC host that she gets inspired when she sees individuals obstructing ICE. Allison Bailey/NurPhoto/Shutterstock 'And the next one's coming up on July 13. So, we're going to keep doing those, because that is what we have to realize is the United States has been complacent for too long. We think that maybe these checks and balances were supposed to keep us safe, but we're seeing that they assume that people on the other side also care about the Constitution. Not the case right now.' The Washington State lawmaker has been critical of ICE, calling it a 'terrorist force' in a recent Instagram post. Advertisement She then defended the comment during an interview with CNN, where she was asked to respond to the White House's criticism of her post. She retorted the White House 'owes an apology' to Americans. Jayapal also called ICE's immigration enforcement 'outrageous,' 'unconstitutional' and 'illegal' during her CNN segment defending the comments she made, calling ICE a 'terrorist force.' Jayapal told Joy Reid, 'the most inspiring things have been when people encircle courtrooms and refuse to allow ICE agents in.' REUTERS Advertisement ICE Acting Director Todd Lyon responded to Jayapal's comments. 'Rep. Jayapal's glorification of the harassment of law enforcement officers and of ignoring our nation's laws is particularly concerning coming from a sitting congresswoman. Moreover, these comments came on July 4, just hours before a coordinated attack at an ICE facility in Texas, during which a local law enforcement officer was shot,' Lyon told Fox News Digital. 'And today — also in Texas— a violent attacker shot a U.S. Border Patrol officer. Inciting activists is not a game; there are very real consequences. I'm relieved that both these officers are expected to recover, but how much more dangerous rhetoric can we as a nation tolerate before it's too late?'
