Bass and several other Los Angeles-area mayors condemned the ICE raids in their region, saying residents are living in fear.
“A week ago, everything was peaceful in the city of Los Angeles. … Things began to be difficult on Friday when raids took place, and it’s important that I begin there, because that is the cause of the problems that have happened in the city of Los Angeles and other cities,” Bass said at a news conference today. “This was provoked by the White House.”
Bass slammed the Trump administration for trying to cause “fear and panic,” adding that deploying Marines and National Guard troops was a “drastic and chaotic escalation and completely unnecessary.”
Other city leaders agreed.
“No one deserves to live in fear simply for seeking a better life or for seeking a better life for themselves or their loved ones,” Ventura Mayor Jeannette Sanchez-Palacios said.
Paramount Mayor Peggy Lemons said that her community has been “deeply shaken” by the raids and that some people are avoiding going to work out of fear.
Mario Trujillo, a City Council member in Downey, said that there were raids this morning and that an elderly man was detained while he was dropping off his granddaughter at school.
“These raids at Home Depots, restaurants, places of worship or schools are not keeping our community safe,” he said. “They are creating havoc and fear. This is not the way to provide public safety to the community.”