A sweeping joint federal immigration enforcement operation is currently unfolding in Downtown Los Angeles, with a specific focus on the MacArthur Park neighborhood—a long-standing hotspot for MS‑13 gang activity.
On Monday, roughly 900 California National Guard soldiers, supported by 17 Humvees and tactical vehicles, joined ICE and Border Patrol agents to secure the area, protect law enforcement personnel, and carry out detentions, according to the Associated.
The deployment follows a broader escalation under President Trump’s administration, which previously dispatched both National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles amid sanctuary city tensions.
Despite calls from L.A. Mayor Karen Bass for the federal raids to cease, declaring they were tearing communities apart, the Department of Homeland Security has doubled down on its actions in the district.
The city’s ongoing operation is part of a federal crackdown on undocumented immigrants, with MacArthur Park singled out due to its known links to MS‑13 criminal networks .
While ICE and DHS emphasize that their tactics are lawful, locally elected officials have condemned the measures as heavy-handed and harmful to immigrant communities.
Mayor Bass spearheaded a coalition of over 20 Southern California officials to demand a halt to the raids, labeling the enforcement a destructive strategy that sows fear and disrupts daily life.
Recent courthouse confrontations and viral footage have reflected the escalating tensions: heartbroken communities, claims of agent impersonation, and at least 380 protest-related arrests in the region.
Legal advocacy groups have since filed federal lawsuits alleging civil rights violations, citing warrantless detentions and racial profiling.
Despite the local pushback, DHS and ICE officials insist enforcement will continue unabated. The intense deployment in Downtown L.A.—with military vehicles, heavily armed agents, and sweeping arrests—is the administration’s clearest statement yet that sanctuary city policies will not deter federal action.
