Federal authorities launched a sweeping immigration operation in downtown Los Angeles on Monday, drawing immediate backlash from Mayor Karen Bass, who appeared at the scene to confront agents and demand an end to the raid. The dramatic standoff unfolded near MacArthur Park—an area long known for its dense immigrant population and reported gang activity, including MS-13 influence.

Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin, who was on the ground, described the scene in real time on the X platform. “We’re here with hundreds of federal agents and military personnel as a major immigration enforcement action is unfolding in the MacArthur Park area of Los Angeles—one of the largest sanctuary cities in the country,” he wrote. Melugin added that Bass had already objected to the raid and that agents appeared to have responded with an even larger operation, deploying Border Patrol units on horseback.

Melugin later posted footage showing Mayor Bass speaking to a Border Patrol agent who then appeared to make a phone call and hand the device to her. In the video, Bass could be heard telling the person on the other end of the line, “They have completed their mission here,” along with a pointed question: “What’s the timeframe before they leave?”

Local station KTTV confirmed that exchange and noted that Bass delivered a forceful statement shortly afterward. When asked by reporters for her reaction to the raid, the mayor declared, “They need to leave and they need to leave right now, because this is unacceptable!”

Growing Unrest in Los Angeles

Monday’s events emerged against a backdrop of intensifying tensions over federal immigration enforcement in Los Angeles. Last month, anti-ICE demonstrations spiraled into riots, with activists accusing federal agents of targeting vulnerable communities in the city’s sanctuary zones.

Matters escalated further when U.S. Senator Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from a news conference in Los Angeles where Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was speaking. Noem reiterated that immigration enforcement efforts would continue despite the uproar. According to her, federal authorities will maintain their presence in L.A. and other major sanctuary jurisdictions.

“We are not going anywhere,” Noem said. “We are staying here to restore order in this city—to free it from the policies imposed by a governor and mayor who have allowed chaos to take root.” As she spoke, Padilla abruptly approached the podium, interrupting her remarks and causing confusion in the room. Few people recognized him until security personnel intervened and escorted him out.

Noem later commented on the incident, explaining that she met with the senator privately afterward. “We sat down for ten or fifteen minutes,” she said, “and I told him that nobody in the room even knew who he was. He didn’t identify himself until he was already approaching me and security had been trying to hold him back.”

Federal Officials Signal More Enforcement

While Los Angeles leaders continue to resist federal involvement, top immigration officials say they are preparing for broader and more aggressive enforcement actions in major cities across the country.

Border czar Tom Homan reaffirmed that the federal government intends to intensify operations in sanctuary jurisdictions—particularly New York City and Los Angeles. Homan explained that sanctuary policies obstruct federal law enforcement and create conditions where dangerous individuals remain in communities rather than being transferred into federal custody.

“We’re going to be in New York City, and President Trump already made that clear,” Homan told reporters. “We’re going to double down and triple down on sanctuary cities. Not because they’re blue states—because that’s where we’re seeing the biggest problems.”

He argued that jurisdictions with strict sanctuary policies frequently release individuals who pose public safety or national security risks, which, according to him, forces federal agents to carry out riskier arrests in neighborhoods or workplaces rather than in secure jail environments.

“We don’t see this issue in Florida,” Homan continued. “There, every sheriff works with us. But in sanctuary cities? If we can’t take custody of a dangerous individual in the county jail, we’re going to go into the community and get them. We’ll go to the job sites. We’re going to find them.”

Homan concluded with a stark message for local officials who oppose immigration enforcement efforts: “If they’re not going to help us, they need to move aside. We’re going to do the job either way.”

A City in Conflict

Monday’s raid marks one of the most dramatic confrontations yet between federal immigration authorities and Los Angeles’s political leadership. As Mayor Bass insists the city will not tolerate what she calls hostile and intrusive federal operations, officials from the Trump administration maintain they have a duty to act—especially in areas with policies that shield undocumented individuals from federal custody.

With both sides digging in, Los Angeles may be heading toward a prolonged and highly public struggle over immigration, law enforcement, and the limits of federal authority. The confrontation at MacArthur Park could be only the beginning.