MacArthur Park in Los Angeles became the center of a tense and chaotic scene Monday afternoon as heavily armed federal agents and U.S. troops launched a large-scale immigration raid that many local leaders say yielded little more than fear.
The operation involved 90 armed troops, 17 military Humvees, and displaced a children’s summer camp in the park, according to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who sharply criticized the move.
“This looked more like a military invasion than an immigration enforcement action,” Bass said. “It appears the goal wasn’t to arrest anyone—it was to spread fear. Pure political theater designed to terrorize.”
Footage posted by the mayor showed federal agents, some on horseback, moving in a skirmish formation through a mostly empty park. It was unclear if any arrests were made, and federal authorities provided no immediate explanation for the raid’s purpose.
The Department of Defense, in a post on X, confirmed that U.S. military personnel were deployed to “protect federal law enforcement” and establish a security perimeter.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, speaking at a wildfire recovery press event, also condemned the operation.
“What’s happening at MacArthur Park is a disgrace—militarized theater staged from the polluted heart of this administration,” Newsom said, directly criticizing President Trump and his deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.
The scene included military convoys creeping down Wilshire Boulevard, with armored vehicles, cargo trucks, and ambulances creating a striking image of force in the middle of a major American city.
Mayor Bass, visibly disturbed, said she had no indication anyone had been detained.
“I don’t think the objective was to apprehend immigrants,” she said. “It was to tell people in this city of immigrants: Don’t go to work, don’t go to school, stay hidden. It was intimidation, plain and simple.”
The California National Guard confirmed all troops involved were activated guardsmen operating under Title 10—a federal order allowing military forces to support federal personnel.
Defense officials said the troops had authorization to detain individuals deemed a threat, briefly, until they could be handed over to law enforcement.
The raid comes as part of a broader escalation: earlier this summer, President Trump deployed roughly 4,700 troops to California, citing the need to protect federal agencies and property.
As of Monday night, no further details had been released by the Department of Homeland Security or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) about what prompted the action at MacArthur Park.
