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On a seemingly routine morning, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers launched a coordinated operation to apprehend members of MS-13, a notorious criminal gang reportedly controlling parts of MacArthur Park. The operation included agents on horseback, military personnel, and helicopters overhead, signaling the seriousness of the effort.
However, immediate opposition arose as Mayor Karen Bass and protesters swarmed the scene, with Bass specifically demanding that ICE leave the park immediately, claiming the raid was "unacceptable." This stance underscores a broader insistence by local officials to shield illegal immigrants, even those involved in serious criminal activity, from federal enforcement efforts.