Latest news with #ArturoFlores
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
California mayor on Trump's immigration raids: ‘It is a campaign of domestic terror'
As a United States marine, Arturo Flores served in Afghanistan and Iraq, where he worked as a military police officer and trained dogs to find roadside bombs. It's his experience in the military that has made what he's seen on the streets of southern California in recent weeks all the more disturbing to him, Flores said. Flores is the mayor of Huntington Park, in south LA county. Like in other parts of LA, many Huntington residents have been terrified amid reports of masked federal agents detaining immigrants, or those that look like immigrants, on the street, in parking lots, at swap meets or large stores and soldiers deployed into the city against the wishes of local officials and the governor. 'It is a campaign of domestic terror that is being imposed on our residents on a daily basis,' Flores said. 'It is a level of psychological warfare that I've only seen in theaters of war. It's terrifying seeing it being displayed here in my city.' A third of all LA residents were born outside of the United States, and nearly half of the region's residents are Latino. An estimated 1 million of LA county's 10 million residents are undocumented. About 97% of residents in Huntington Park are Latino, and the city has been the site of numerous raids by US Immigration and Custom Enforcement (Ice) in recent weeks. Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, attended an operation in the city on 12 June. The Trump administration's crackdown has sent fear through immigrant and Latino communities in the city, for citizens and non-citizens alike, Flores said. Video captured of federal operations in the region this week showed apparent immigration agents arresting a US citizen while her family cried for help nearby, and officers surrounding a street vendor as she clung to a tree. In Huntington Park, Flores said, federal officers are not communicating with local agencies and driving through neighborhoods at high speed, jumping curbs and chasing people. Residents report people seemingly being targeted based on their skin color or perceived ethnicity, he said. 'Any claims that individuals have been 'targeted' by law enforcement because of their skin color are disgusting and categorically false,' the DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. 'These types of smears are designed to demonize and villainize our brave Ice law enforcement.' McLaughlin also said 'this kind of garbage has led to a 500% increase in the assaults on Ice officers', though she did not explain the underlying data or what period the rise was documented in. 'DHS enforcement operations are highly targeted, and officers do their due diligence,' she said. 'We know who we are targeting ahead of time. If and when we do encounter individuals subject to arrest, our law enforcement is trained to ask a series of well-determined questions to determine status and removability.' The operations have had a dramatic impact on the community. Businesses have closed, Flores said, as people who would normally be out shopping stay indoors. Only four families came to a recent city-organized movie night in the park. 'It's a very real fear of being physically assaulted when you're just walking on the street, trying to grocery shop or trying to pick up your granddaughter,' Flores said. Flores has said the way federal officials are conducting operations, with agents in masks and unmarked vehicles, is dangerous. This week, Huntington Park police arrested someone they believed was impersonating a federal agent. He has been outspoken about his opposition to the operations in the city, and to the deployment of national guard soldiers and marines to Los Angeles in recent weeks. During a press conference with LA area mayors ahead of the arrival of soldiers in the city earlier this month, Flores urged servicemembers to defend the constitution. 'When we lifted our hands and we swore the oath to defend the constitution and to defend the country, that oath was to the American people,' he said at the time. 'It was not to a dictator. It was not to a tyrant. It was not to a president. It was to the American people.' The events that have unfolded in the area in recent weeks have been surreal, he said. 'You never imagine seeing this domestically in areas and streets that you grew up on … but we're seeing as some of these streets are being transformed into battlegrounds.' Huntington Park is having conversations about joining a class-action lawsuit with other cities against the Trump administration, Flores said, and is looking to start emergency funds for constitutional rights education, legal aid and emergency food delivery. As operations continue to unfold, he is urging residents to stay united. 'It is very dangerous time,' he said. '[But] there's gonna come a time where Donald Trump will not be president and the individuals that were perpetrating these injustices are going to be held accountable.'
CBS News
01-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Huntington Park postpones Fourth of July celebration amid increased immigration operations
Fear and frustration over immigration raids across Southern California are leading to the cancellation or delay of Independence Day celebrations in several cities across the region. Security video shows federal agents blasting through the front door of a house in Huntington Park. Customs and Border Protection says that last Friday, it was looking for a man wanted for obstructing federal agents. On a different occasion, home security footage of several federal agents with guns drawn wearing tactical and military-style gear inside another Huntington Park home. At the time, agents said they were looking for a man they claimed was in the country illegally. "This is not okay. What's happening in our communities is shameful," said Huntington Park Mayor Arturo Flores. "There is no honor here whatsoever." Seeing federal agents conducting immigration raids across the city for weeks now is why Flores says the city has to put a stop to community events for at least the next month. "Public safety comes first and foremost before anything. So, when that comes into question, it's an easy decision to make, "he said. "We're going to take every step and measure to protect our community." Flores' decision means that a Fourth of July celebration at Salt Lake Park has been postponed indefinitely. "It's sad on one point because we want all the beautiful things this world has to offer, but we have to deal with what's going on right now, and that is our safety," said Nyssa Thies, a Huntington Park neighbor. Huntington Park is not alone; events have been canceled or delayed in Bell Gardens, Cudahy, Boyle Heights, El Sereno, Lincoln Heights, Whittier and downtown Los Angeles. "All communities that have Latinos are suffering a lot," said Jacqueline Lacayo, a Huntington Park neighbor. "I think everyone should come together to support them." In Huntington Park, they actually postponed their event indefinitely because if they canceled it outright, they could lose thousands of dollars because of the deposit for their drone show. There will also be a stop to "Movies in the park" outside of City Hall, for at least part of the summer. It's an event that usually draws out hundreds of neighbors, but the last one only had four families, the mayor says. "To see four families show up and one of them pose the question, are we safe here. It really put in perspective the reality that's being lived," Flores said. "You have to understand, our community – even the ones that are U.S. citizens, U.S.-born – they're also in fear." Lacayo says this is a time when the country should be celebrating its independence, not fearful of federal agents raiding homes or driving down their streets in armored vehicles. "It's Fourth of July, the home of the free... where is it?" Lacayo said. A poignant question heading into Independence Day.
The Guardian
01-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
California mayor on Trump's immigration raids: ‘It is a campaign of domestic terror'
As a United States marine, Arturo Flores served in Afghanistan and Iraq, where he worked as a military police officer and trained dogs to find roadside bombs. It's his experience in the military that has made what he's seen on the streets of southern California in recent weeks all the more disturbing to him, Flores said. Flores is the mayor of Huntington Park, in south LA county. Like in other parts of LA, many Huntington residents have been terrified amid reports of masked federal agents detaining immigrants, or those that look like immigrants, on the street, in parking lots, at swap meets or large stores and soldiers deployed into the city against the wishes of local officials and the governor. 'It is a campaign of domestic terror that is being imposed on our residents on a daily basis,' Flores said. 'It is a level of psychological warfare that I've only seen in theaters of war. It's terrifying seeing it being displayed here in my city.' A third of all LA residents were born outside of the United States, and nearly half of the region's residents are Latino. An estimated 1 million of LA county's 10 million residents are undocumented. About 97% of residents in Huntington Park are Latino, and the city has been the site of numerous raids by US Immigration and Custom Enforcement (Ice) in recent weeks. Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, attended an operation in the city on 12 June. The Trump administration's crackdown has sent fear through immigrant and Latino communities in the city, for citizens and non-citizens alike, Flores said. Video captured of federal operations in the region this week showed apparent immigration agents arresting a US citizen while her family cried for help nearby, and officers surrounding a street vendor as she clung to a tree. In Huntington Park, Flores said, federal officers are not communicating with local agencies and driving through neighborhoods at high speed, jumping curbs and chasing people. Residents report people seemingly being targeted based on their skin color or perceived ethnicity, he said. 'Any claims that individuals have been 'targeted' by law enforcement because of their skin color are disgusting and categorically false,' the DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. 'These types of smears are designed to demonize and villainize our brave Ice law enforcement.' McLaughlin also said 'this kind of garbage has led to a 500% increase in the assaults on Ice officers', though she did not explain the underlying data or what period the rise was documented in. 'DHS enforcement operations are highly targeted, and officers do their due diligence,' she said. 'We know who we are targeting ahead of time. If and when we do encounter individuals subject to arrest, our law enforcement is trained to ask a series of well-determined questions to determine status and removability.' The operations have had a dramatic impact on the community. Businesses have closed, Flores said, as people who would normally be out shopping stay indoors. Only four families came to a recent city-organized movie night in the park. 'It's a very real fear of being physically assaulted when you're just walking on the street, trying to grocery shop or trying to pick up your granddaughter,' Flores said. Flores has said the way federal officials are conducting operations, with agents in masks and unmarked vehicles, is dangerous. This week, Huntington Park police arrested someone they believed was impersonating a federal agent. He has been outspoken about his opposition to the operations in the city, and to the deployment of national guard soldiers and marines to Los Angeles in recent weeks. During a press conference with LA area mayors ahead of the arrival of soldiers in the city earlier this month, Flores urged servicemembers to defend the constitution. 'When we lifted our hands and we swore the oath to defend the constitution and to defend the country, that oath was to the American people,' he said at the time. 'It was not to a dictator. It was not to a tyrant. It was not to a president. It was to the American people.' The events that have unfolded in the area in recent weeks have been surreal, he said. 'You never imagine seeing this domestically in areas and streets that you grew up on … but we're seeing as some of these streets are being transformed into battlegrounds.' Huntington Park is having conversations about joining a class-action lawsuit with other cities against the Trump administration, Flores said, and is looking to start emergency funds for constitutional rights education, legal aid and emergency food delivery. As operations continue to unfold, he is urging residents to stay united. 'It is very dangerous time,' he said. '[But] there's gonna come a time where Donald Trump will not be president and the individuals that were perpetrating these injustices are going to be held accountable.'
The Guardian
01-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
California mayor on Trump's immigration raids: ‘It is a campaign of domestic terror'
As a United States marine, Arturo Flores served in Afghanistan and Iraq, where he worked as a military police officer and trained dogs to find roadside bombs. It's his experience in the military that has made what he's seen on the streets of southern California in recent weeks all the more disturbing to him, Flores said. Flores is the mayor of Huntington Park, in south LA county. Like in other parts of LA, many Huntington residents have been terrified amid reports of masked federal agents detaining immigrants, or those that look like immigrants, on the street, in parking lots, at swap meets or large stores and soldiers deployed into the city against the wishes of local officials and the governor. 'It is a campaign of domestic terror that is being imposed on our residents on a daily basis,' Flores said. 'It is a level of psychological warfare that I've only seen in theaters of war. It's terrifying seeing it being displayed here in my city.' A third of all LA residents was born outside of the United States, and nearly half of the region's residents are Latino. An estimated 1 million of LA county's 10 million residents are undocumented. About 97% of residents in Huntington Park are Latino, and the city has been the site of numerous raids by US Immigration and Custom Enforcement (Ice) in recent weeks. Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, attended an operation in the city on 12 June. The Trump administration's crackdown has sent fear through immigrant and Latino communities in the city, for citizens and non-citizens alike, Flores said. Video captured of federal operations in the region this week showed apparent immigration agents arresting a US citizen while her family cried for help nearby, and officers surrounding a street vendor as she clung to a tree. In Huntington Park, Flores said, federal officers are not communicating with local agencies and driving through neighborhoods at high rates of speed, jumping curbs, and chasing people. Residents report people seemingly being targeted based on their skin color or perceived ethnicity, he said. 'Any claims that individuals have been 'targeted' by law enforcement because of their skin color are disgusting and categorically false,' the DHS assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, said. 'These types of smears are designed to demonize and villainize our brave Ice law enforcement.' McLaughlin also said 'this kind of garbage has led to a 500% increase in the assaults on Ice officers', though she did not explain the underlying data or what period the rise was documented in. 'DHS enforcement operations are highly targeted, and officers do their due diligence' she said. 'We know who we are targeting ahead of time. If and when we do encounter individuals subject to arrest, our law enforcement is trained to ask a series of well-determined questions to determine status and removability.' The operations have had a dramatic impact on the community. Businesses have closed, Flores said, as people who would normally be out shopping stay indoors. Only four families came to a recent city-organized movie night in the park. 'It's a very real fear of being physically assaulted when you're just walking on the street, trying to grocery shop or trying to pick up your granddaughter,' Flores said. Flores has said the way federal officials are conducting operations, with agents in masks and unmarked vehicles, is dangerous. This week, Huntington Park police arrested someone they believed was impersonating a federal agent. He has been outspoken about his opposition to the operations in the city, and to the deployment of national guard soldiers and marines to Los Angeles in recent weeks. During a press conference with LA area mayors ahead of the arrival of soldiers in the city earlier this month, Flores urged servicemembers to defend the constitution. 'When we lifted our hands and we swore the oath to defend the constitution and to defend the country, that oath was to the American people,' he said at the time. 'It was not to a dictator. It was not to a tyrant. It was not to a president. It was to the American people.' The events that have unfolded in the area in recent weeks have been surreal, he said. 'You never imagine seeing this domestically in areas and streets that you grew up on … but we're seeing as some of these streets are being transformed into battlegrounds.' Huntington Park is having conversations about joining a class-action lawsuit with other cities against the Trump administration, Flores said, and is looking to start emergency funds for constitutional rights education, legal aid and emergency food delivery. As operations continue to unfold, he's urging residents to stay united. 'It is very dangerous time,' he said. '[But] there's gonna come a time where Donald Trump will not be president and the individuals that were perpetrating these injustices are going to be held accountable.'
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Huntington Park mayor directs police to enforce ICE agents' self-identification
Huntington Park Mayor Arturo Flores released a statement Saturday, condemning what he called 'masked abductions' amid immigration raids across Los Angeles County, and directing police to intervene in unlawful or unauthorized operations. 'These are not lawful arrests. These are abductions,' said Mayor Flores. 'For more than a week, we have witnessed families being torn apart, children left without parents, and residents vanishing without explanation. Men dressed in tactical gear, operating unmarked vehicles without displaying credentials or agency affiliation, have infiltrated our neighborhoods in direct violation of our community's values, civil rights, and the basic principles of due process.' Last week, a raid on a Huntington Park home, attended by U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, caused outrage in the community. The agency said that the federal immigration agents were targeting a man with a criminal record inside the home, but when about a half-dozen vehicles carrying heavily armed, masked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents converged on the home, it was occupied by a 28-year-old pregnant mother of four. ICE agents and Noem eventually left the home empty-handed, and the children were allowed back inside. However, this was not the only raid reported in Huntington Park, according to the mayor, and other times, federal agents have been seen masking their faces and driving unmarked vehicles. Flores said he's received reports of masked and unidentified individuals abducting residents in broad daylight. 'These actions have sparked rumors of unauthorized vigilantes or bounty hunters operating under the guise of federal enforcement, have triggered widespread fear and confusion throughout the community.' This message also comes a day after protesters were seen facing off with masked men in the neighboring Southeast L.A. city of Bell, where a large crowd was seen surrounding unmarked vehicles with federal agents around. Several people were seen detained, and a large crowd continued to move in on the unmarked vehicles. 'This is not immigration enforcement. This is state-sanctioned intimidation,' said Flores. 'I am calling for the immediate cessation of these raids and for the Huntington Park Police Department to begin verifying the identities and authority of any individuals conducting such operations within city limits.' The statement shared that the mayor formally directed the police department to enforce laws concerning unmarked vehicles, visible license plates and required agency identification. 'He is urging law enforcement to investigate and intervene in any unauthorized operations that place public safety or civil liberties at risk,' continued the message. 'We cannot allow Wild West-style bounty hunter tactics to unfold unchecked on our streets,' said Mayor Flores. 'Our residents deserve to know who is operating in their neighborhoods and under what authority. Allowing unidentified and unverified actors to engage in forceful detentions is not only reckless—it is dangerous and corrosive to the rule of law.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
