Mayor Karen Bass held a press conference on continued unrest Sunday as thousands of protesters and law enforcement clashed in downtown Los Angeles over a weekend raid by US immigrants and customs enforcement agents.
Reflecting statements made by Gov. Gavin Newsom and other state authorities, Bass warned President Trump and federal leaders for making the state’s National Guard federal government.
“Let’s be authentic about this. It’s about another agenda. It’s not about public safety,” Bus said at a press conference.
The mayor noted that the First Amendment allows residents to protest peacefully, but that it does not grant demonstrators the right to violence, nor allow them to destroy property, and that these types of actions are not tolerated.
Following last night’s immigration attack protest, protesters are raising the flag when Waymo taxis were burned near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Following last night’s immigration raid protest, protesters stand in a burning Waymotaxi near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Following last night’s immigration raid protest, two Waymo Taxis are on fire near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Following last night’s immigration raid protest, protesters threw on Sunday, June 8, 2025 on the 101 Expressway near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Police are seen through smoke on the 101 highway near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Protesters will clash with law enforcement in downtown LA on June 8, 2025. (KTLA) A man skateboard on a 101 highway as protesters can be seen on an overpass near downtown Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Je-Hong) Following last night’s immigration attack protest, protesters can be seen on the 101 Expressway near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Protesters are considered two Waymotaxi burns following last night’s immigration raid protests near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Protesters will block the 101 highway near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, June 8, 2025, following the immigration attack protests last night. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Protesters are gathering in downtown Los Angeles and moving into the 101 Freeway lane. June 2025 (SKY5) protesters will be seen on the 101 Expressway near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Protesters will be seen on the 101 Expressway near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Sayer)
Bass then pivoted on several workplace raids carried out by ice agents on Friday, setting fire to demonstrations in the city.
“Initially, the administration said it was just looking for dangerous felonies, violent people,” she said. “It’s hard to say that it’s something they found in the workplace or at the Home Depot parking lot. When this happens, it scares people. It brings fear and confusion to our city.”
Governor Newsom begs the US Department of Defense to “retract” the National Guard
The mayor said many of those detained were not permitted to speak to legal counsel, and these arrests scared the family away and what would happen to their loved ones.
Asked questions from a reporter, Bass expressed his disappointment saying he has been talking to federal officials for the past few days, not the president himself, and that he is trying to ensure this situation does not happen.
“I was trying to encourage the administration to create a sense of confusion if they deployed the National Guard in Los Angeles, which is the last thing our city needs,” she said. “Our city is still trying to recover from wildfires.”
When asked if he was concerned about the safety of law enforcement on the ground, the mayor said he was concerned about everyone, from police to protesters to small businesses and urban residents.
The entire mayor’s press conference can be viewed on the video player above.
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