Editor’s note: KTLA reached out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for comment multiple times prior to publication. As of publishing, DHS has not responded.
Federal agents were spotted near MacArthur Park in the Westlake district on Monday as part of an apparent immigration raid.
local affiliate KTLA’s Rich Prickett reports that he spotted Department of Homeland Security and military vehicles on site. He also counted at least four white vans similar to the types of vehicles federal agents have recently been using to transport people to jails and detention sites.
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Early Monday afternoon, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass shared footage to social media of agents, including some members of law enforcement on horseback, traversing a soccer field at the park.
“Minutes before, there were more than 20 kids playing then, the MILITARY comes through,” she said. “The SECOND I heard about this, I went to the park to speak to the person in charge to tell them it needed to end NOW. Absolutely outrageous.”
The Los Angeles Times identified the agents as members of the Border Patrol and confirmed that Bass spoke via phone with someone she identified as “the head of customs,” asking “you’re getting ready to leave? Can you leave ASAP?”
Presumably, she was referring to Rodney Scott, commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, though the Times did not name him.
The Los Angeles Police Department told KTLA they are not assisting in the federal actions, though officers were present for crowd control.
The National Guard has sent about 90 troops to defend the federal agents, the Associated Press reports.
It’s unclear if anyone was arrested on Monday, but more than 1,600 people were arrested between June 6 and 22, the Times reports.
Sofia Pop Perez and Luis Zuniga contributed to this report.
