Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass stood with 100 civic leaders as police sirens sounded in the background, bringing her most passionate criticism of the federal reaction to the anti-ice protests up to Thursday.
The mayor, who is adjacent to faith leaders, business leaders, immigration rights advocates, defended the city’s ability to handle the occasional, chaotic protests that cleaned across downtown LA last week, accusing the Trump administration of intentionally missenting it as overwhelmed by violence.
“It’s a complete lie to characterize what’s going on in our city as a city of mayhem,” Bass said. “I’m not going to call it the truth. I’m not going to sugarcoat it. I’m going to call it about what it is, that’s a lie.”
“I probably served as a secretary in Congress for about ten years, and Madame Secretary, I don’t recognize you.
Noem told the media early Thursday that the Trump administration is “planning to free the city from the socialists and burdensome leaders that the governor and mayor have placed in the country.”
Bass also appeared at Noem’s press conference and condemned the brief detention of Sen. Alex Padilla, who was forced to remove after attempting to ask questions.
“They pushed and cuffed the US Senator just sitting there. Bass asked Noem.
The rushed-call press conference at City Hall was the clearest expression of the two minutes the mayor is currently facing. On the one hand, they are trying to end the migrant and customs enforcement raids that sparked protests in the city, while on the other, they are trying to overthrow vandalism, theft and violence, scavenging the civilian center and surrounded sections.
At a press conference, Bass once again called on the President to take the National Guard and the US Marines out of the city and stop the ice attack. She also extended it until 6am in Downtown Los Angeles curfew, which was first announced Tuesday, as LAPD and other law enforcement agencies worked to clean up protesters until 8am.
The event came nearly a week after ice agents began incitement across the region, appearing at work, schools and courthouses, sparking protests in Southern California.
Angelica Salas, executive director of the Humanitarian Immigration Rights Coalition in Los Angeles, said the Trump administration has brought human, civil and constitutional rights brutality, confusion and violations to LA.
“What brought to our city was racial profiling in a way that I have never experienced in my career,” she said.
“The pain we witness when we talk to our families is unbearable for our children to be left behind,” Saras said as she stood next to the bass. “And I want this president to know that this city is strict, it’s organized, it’s disciplined and it doesn’t tolerate what’s going on at the moment.”
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