One day after city and county leaders condemned federal immigration activity at MacArthur Park, elected officials Tuesday announced legal action against the Trump Administration in an effort to stop what they have described as “unlawful” and “unconstitutional” federal immigration enforcement activity in the region.
The city — joined by other local cities and Los Angeles County — filed papers seeking to intervene in a proposed class-action lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union against the federal government on behalf of people who allege they were unlawfully stopped or detained by federal agents.
The lawsuit alleges that federal agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, have engaged in unconstitutional and unlawful immigration raids by targeting Angelenos based on their perceived race and ethnicity and also denying detainees constitutionally mandated due process.
During a news conference downtown, City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto, Mayor Karen Bass and other regional mayors said they plan assert their rights under the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which enshrines the principle of federalism, where the federal government and individuals states share power, by mutual agreement.
“The federal government has concentrated thousands of armed immigration agents, many of whom lack visible identification, and military troops in our communities, conducting unconstitutional raids, roundups and anonymous detentions, sowing fear and chaos among our residents,” Feldstein Soto said. “Today’s motion to intervene shows we will not stand by and allow these raids to continue or to become the standard operating procedure in our communities.”
“We as a jurisdiction, not only support our residents in stopping these unconstitutional practices, but we in fact, assert our own rights under the 10th Amendment. It’s jurisdictions that ultimately have local control over our police powers,” she added.
Bass reiterated her contention that the Trump Administration is treating Los Angeles as a test case.
“The city of Los Angeles, along with the county, cities, organizations and Angelenos across L.A., is taking the Administration to court to stop its clear violation of the United States Constitution and federal law,” Bass said. “We will not be intimidated — we are making Los Angeles the example of how people who believe in American values will stand together and stand united.”
L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis announced Tuesday afternoon that the county also joined the city’s efforts to address allegedly warrantless arrests and seizures caused by ICE raids, authorized by DHS.
“Today, as a result of that motion, the County of Los Angeles is joining the city of Los Angeles to intervene in a federal class action lawsuit against the Trump administration,” Solis said in a statement. “For the past month, we’ve seen individuals picked up at car washes and Home Depot parking lots, then simply disappear without warrants, probable cause, or due process.”
DHS on social media has denied these allegations.
“Claims that individuals have been `targeted’ by law enforcement because of their skin color are disgusting and categorically FALSE. DHS enforcement operations are highly targeted, and officers do their due diligence,” according to DHS.
“ICE detention facilities have higher standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens,” DHS previously stated. “These types of smears are designed to demonize and villainize our brave ICE law enforcement. This garbage has directly led to a nearly 700 percent increase in the assaults on ICE law enforcement officers.”
Meanwhile, the White House issued a statement Tuesday morning defending federal immigration activity.
“The brave men and women of ICE are under siege by deranged Democrats — but undeterred in their mission,” the White House said in a statement. “Every day, these heroes put their own lives on the line to get the worst of the worst — criminal illegal immigrant killers, rapists, gangbangers, and other violent criminals — off our streets and out of our neighborhoods.”
Montebello Mayor Salvador Melendez, Monterey Park Mayor Vinh Ngo, Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo, West Hollywood Mayor Chelsea Byers and Culver City Vice Mayor Freddy Puza attended Tuesday’s news conference announcing the legal action. Each mayor showed their support for the city and county’s legal actions, and also criticized the Trump Administration’s immigration tactics.
“We cannot allow families to be torn apart without due process, and we cannot stand silent while the constitutional rights of our residents are trampled,” Melendez said.
In an interview with City News Service, Bass said the federal immigration activity is creating a sense of “fear and terror,” and they are going after legal status.
“The Trump Administration does have problems with people here with legal status. Otherwise they wouldn’t be detaining people when they show up for their annual immigration appointment,” Bass told CNS. “They are here legally now. They’re talking about canceling temporary status for people who are from countries that are in conflict.”
Melendez told CNS that he absolutely believes the U.S. needs immigration reform.
“It’s been decades since the last amnesty that was given here, and while we’re talking about all of this, we also have to talk about creating a path for folks to have citizenship here and have status here,” Melendez said.
“We need to have these folks not be afraid, not scared. These people are paying taxes. They’re contributing to our economy. They’re here. They’ve been here for years. We need to make sure that we provide that pathway for them,” he added.
While he recognized that he is not 100% sure what immigration reform or a path forward would look like, he noted that it will take “all of us coming together” and putting a plan in motion.
On Monday, more than 100 federal immigration-enforcement agents amassed near MacArthur Park in the Westlake area. The activity began before 11 a.m., with dozens of vans and some military vehicles appearing out the outskirts of the park. Agents were seen staging outside the park, and about a dozen U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents were also seen riding horses into the park.
The operation sparked a quick response from dozens of protesters and several local elected officials who called on federal crews to leave the area.
Speaking Tuesday on Fox News, U.S. Border czar Tom Homan said federal agents targeted the park because it is a hotbed of human-trafficking activity, and a place people go if they’re looking to obtain fake Green Cards or Social Security numbers. Homan said no arrests resulted from the operation, because plans of the raid were “leaked” in advance.