Heavily Armed Immigration Agents Storm MacArthur Park in Los Angeles
- Admin
- Jul 7, 2025
- 2 min read
Los Angeles—Dozens of heavily armed immigration agents descended on MacArthur Park in the Westlake area of Los Angeles on Monday, creating panic in one of the city's most prominent immigrant communities.
Some agents, equipped with rifles and accompanied by armored vehicles and horses, sealed off parts of the park while activists with megaphones alerted local residents. The dramatic show of force comes just days after President Trump signed a new budget massively increasing funding for immigration enforcement.
Between June 6 and June 22, over 1,600 people have been arrested in Los Angeles, a city now at the center of Trump’s expanded deportation campaign.
The federal agents arrived around 10:30 a.m., only to be met by angry crowds shouting “Get out!” and “Leave now!” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass appeared on the scene, visibly disturbed by the operation. In a tense exchange overheard by onlookers, Bass spoke via cellphone with the head of customs, urging, “You need to leave, and you need to leave right now. This is unacceptable.” Shortly after, she left the park in a black SUV.
It remains unclear whether any arrests were made during the operation. Activists and immigrant rights groups were quick to condemn the action as a “publicity stunt” designed to intimidate rather than enforce the law. “This was just to show force,” said Ron Gochez of Unión del Barrio, a political organization advocating for immigrant rights.
By 11:30 a.m., most of the chaos had subsided, though some protesters and media remained at the scene.
Mikema Nahmir, 28, who was out for a morning walk, described the scene as terrifying. “They’re terrorizing our neighborhood,” he said after witnessing agents deploy irritants toward protesters.
Video footage streamed live on social media captured images of white transport vans and Border Patrol agents on horseback. The agents cleared the area by 11:20 a.m.
U.S. Border Patrol Sector Chief Greg Bovino, who led Monday’s operation, is facing ongoing legal challenges from immigrant rights groups accusing federal agents of racial profiling and illegal enforcement tactics. A court hearing is expected later this week.
When asked for updates on arrests, a senior Department of Homeland Security official declined to comment, stating, “We don’t comment on ongoing enforcement operations.”
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