Federal troops’ show of force at MacArthur Park, Los Angeles; Mayor calls it a ‘political stunt’

A number of federal officers in tactical gear, backed by 90 California National Guard members and a convoy of 17 Humvees, stormed Los Angeles’ MacArthur Park on Monday (July 7) in a surprise immigration operation that left residents stunned and officials outraged.

For roughly an hour, troops swept through the mostly empty park — located in a dense immigrant neighborhood west of downtown — in what officials described as a show of protection for immigration enforcement agents. It remains unclear if any arrests were made.

“This morning looked like a staging for a TikTok video,” said Los Angeles City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson. “If Border Patrol wants to film in LA, you should apply for a film permit like everybody else — and stop trying to scare the bejesus out of everybody.”

Mayor slams ‘city under siege’

Mayor Karen Bass condemned the show of force as “a political stunt,” visibly shaken as she described the impact on families in the park.

“What I saw in the park today looked like a city under siege, under armed occupation,” Bass said.

“The world needs to see the troop formation on horses walking through the park… where the children play.”

She added that a frightened 8-year-old boy attending a nearby day camp told her he feared ICE agents. 

Local leaders decry targeting of immigrant neighborhoods

The raid took place in a neighborhood long known for its vibrant immigrant community — dubbed by officials as the “Ellis Island of the West Coast” for its concentration of Mexican, Central American, and Asian families.

Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, whose district includes the park, said the area was targeted “precisely because of who lives there and what it represents.”

Health outreach workers reported being confronted at gunpoint by federal officers while working with homeless residents. Vendors and locals fled the area as helicopters circled overhead and mounted units swept soccer fields.

“It’s terror and, you know, it’s ripping the heart and soul out of Los Angeles,” said Betsy Bolte, a nearby resident who rushed to the scene. “I am still in shock, disbelief, and so angry and terrified and heartbroken.”

Operation escalates Trump’s deportation drive

President Donald Trump, who deployed thousands of troops and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles last month, has accelerated efforts to fulfill his pledge of mass deportations. Monday’s raid follows a wave of immigration arrests and a hardline stance against so-called “sanctuary cities.”

“This is not about going after dangerous criminals,” said California Governor Gavin Newsom. “This is about destroying the fabric of this state.”

Newsom called the military deployment a “spectacle” that undermines California’s values and autonomy.

‘A reality TV spectacle’

Legal advocates say the raid felt more like a media stunt than a serious enforcement action.

“This was a reality TV spectacle much more so than an actual enforcement operation,” said Chris Newman, legal director for the National Day Laborer Organizing Network.

“The ghost town-ification of LA is haunting, to say the very least.”

Federal officials claimed the troops were there to protect immigration officers from potential unrest, not to make arrests — though they admitted the operation might “look like” a military maneuver.