On Monday morning, July 7, 2025, MacArthur Park in Los Angeles’ Westlake district became the epicenter of a massive federal immigration enforcement operation that quickly drew widespread condemnation from city officials and community members alike. The scene unfolded just before 11:30 a.m., as heavily armed federal agents, supported by 90 activated members of the California National Guard, descended upon the park in a show of force that many described as militaristic and intimidating.
The operation involved a convoy of 17 Humvees, four military cargo trucks, two military ambulances, and numerous National Guard vehicles. Agents, some mounted on horseback and others clad in tactical gear wielding rifles, rolled through the park without visible identification. AIR7 and SkyFOX aerial footage captured the overwhelming presence of federal personnel moving across the park’s soccer fields and playgrounds — areas minutes earlier filled with children attending a summer camp.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass responded swiftly, turning her vehicle around en route to a press conference in Pasadena upon hearing of the raid. She arrived at MacArthur Park around 11:05 a.m. and confronted Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers directly. During the encounter, an assistant chief Border Patrol agent handed Mayor Bass a cellphone to speak with U.S. Border Patrol Sector Chief Gregory Bovino, who has been leading enforcement efforts in Los Angeles. Bass urged, “You’re getting ready to leave? Can you leave ASAP?” Shortly thereafter, federal agents began withdrawing from the park.
Mayor Bass called the operation “absolutely outrageous” and “un-American,” criticizing the deployment of federal armed vehicles and National Guard troops in a public park where “nothing is going on.” She emphasized that the park was hosting a children’s summer camp at the time and questioned why the focus was not on criminals or violent offenders instead. “I don’t think the goal is to detain; the goal is to spread fear,” she said.
City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, representing the Westlake area, echoed Bass’s concerns at a press conference alongside Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson. Hernandez described MacArthur Park as “the Ellis Island of the West Coast,” highlighting its significance as a resilient, diverse immigrant community. She warned that the raid was a harbinger for other cities, citing a recently approved $140 billion budget increase for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that could expand such operations nationwide. “What you see happening in MacArthur Park is coming to you,” Hernandez said. “So wake up.”
Harris-Dawson criticized the raid as “more for optics than an actual crackdown,” likening the scene to “the staging for a TikTok video.” He called on Border Patrol to “apply for a film permit like everybody else” instead of using intimidation tactics that scare residents.
Community activists were on high alert, with fliers in English and Spanish warning residents of the impending operation. Ron Gochez of Unión del Barrio, an immigrant rights group, condemned the raid as a “perverse publicity stunt” designed to show force and take pictures rather than enforce law. Protesters confronted the convoy, shouting “get the f— out!” and “get out!” as the agents arrived. Mikema Nahmir, a local resident, recounted how his peaceful morning walk turned into a protest chase when agents deployed irritants against demonstrators.
Despite the overwhelming presence and tension, no arrests were reported during the operation. A senior Department of Homeland Security official declined to comment on enforcement details, stating, “We don’t comment on ongoing enforcement operations.” The Los Angeles Police Department did not assist in the federal action but maintained a presence for crowd control.
The National Guard’s role was limited to establishing a security perimeter and protecting federal law enforcement against potentially hostile crowds. A Department of Defense official clarified that the Guard cannot make immigration arrests but may briefly detain individuals posing threats to officers before handing them over to law enforcement.
Mayor Bass recounted a poignant moment when she spoke with an eight-year-old boy at the summer camp who expressed fear of ICE raids and the possibility of his parents being taken away. “Please understand that’s what’s happening here in the city of Los Angeles,” she said, slamming the podium in frustration. “We are the canary in the coal mine.”
The raid took place amid a broader federal crackdown on immigration enforcement in Southern California. Since June 6, over 1,600 people have been arrested in the region, many in raids targeting immigrant communities. However, the scale and show of force in MacArthur Park, a densely populated area with families and children, sparked intense debate about the human cost and political motives behind such operations.
Local leaders and advocacy groups have decried the tactics as disruptive and traumatizing. Maria Soria of the Saint John's Community Health Street Medicine team reported that federal agents pointed guns at her team and shouted profanities, forcing them to leave and hampering medical care for vulnerable populations.
Jeanette Zani Patton, director of policy and advocacy at True LA, stated that more than 2,300 Angelenos have been “disappeared and uprooted from their homes and communities” since the federal government began its operation nearly a month ago.
The federal operation has also faced legal challenges. Chief Bovino, the Border Patrol official leading enforcement in Los Angeles, was recently sued by immigrant rights groups alleging unconstitutional stops, racial profiling, and inhumane detention conditions. A coalition of 18 states, including California, threw their support behind the lawsuit, arguing that illegal stops have “shattered [the] rhythms of everyday life” in affected neighborhoods.
In a defiant message, Chief Bovino reportedly told Fox News, “I don't work for Karen Bass. Better get used to us now, cause this is going to be normal very soon. We will go anywhere, anytime we want in Los Angeles.”
The incident has raised serious questions about the coordination between federal and local authorities, the transparency of enforcement operations, and the impact on immigrant communities. Mayor Bass and other city officials have called for the immediate withdrawal of federal troops and ICE from Los Angeles, warning that the militarized approach undermines public trust and community safety.
As the federal agents pulled out of MacArthur Park on Monday afternoon, protests continued, with demonstrators chanting slogans like “Whose streets? Our streets!” and carrying Mexican and Salvadoran flags. The community’s resolve to resist what they see as an occupation of their neighborhoods remains strong.
With a newly approved $140 billion ICE budget on the horizon, Los Angeles serves as a cautionary tale for cities across the United States. What happened in MacArthur Park may well be a preview of intensified federal immigration enforcement nationwide — a development that local leaders and activists vow to fight with urgency and solidarity.
