Federal immigration agents swarmed in MacArthur Park on July 7. (photo courtesy of Rep. Laura Friedman via X)

The cities of Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Culver City, Santa Monica, Pasadena, Pico Rivera, Montebello and Monterey Park filed a motion on July 8 to join a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union against the federal government over ongoing immigration raids. The lawsuit seeks to stop the raids, which it alleges are unconstitutional because they are based on ethnicity and do not provide reasonable suspicion or probable cause.

“Immigrants are our family members, they are our neighbors, our coworkers, our classmates, our colleagues,” L.A. City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto said. “The scale of these raids and the tactics that are being used are not a response to any threat level. Local law enforcement for this kind of force would require a showing of real threat. That’s not what’s happening here. This seems to be designed to be aggressive, to instill fear, not [in response] to a threat.”

The action by Los Angeles and the surrounding cities followed a month of ongoing ICE raids, the deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles and an unprecedented militarization effort in MacArthur Park.

The public park is in the Westlake neighborhood, a majority Latino community with a large immigrant population. On July 7, federal agents in military tactical gear descended on the park. Agents carrying assault rifles rode in armored cars, while some arrived on horseback and marched through the park’s grassy fields. However, the park appeared to be largely empty, and the agents did not make any arrests.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass arrived at the park during the operation and confronted immigration officials, asking them to leave.

“To me, this is another example of the administration ratcheting up chaos by deploying what looked like a military operation in an American city,” Bass said. “Frankly, it is outrageous and un-American that we have federal armed vehicles in our parks when nothing is going on in the parks.”

Bass said that moments before the sweep, children from a summer camp were playing in the park before being forced to leave out of fear and intimidation.

In an interview with Fox 11 Los Angeles, U.S. Border Patrol Sector Chief Gregory Bovino defended the federal activity in MacArthur Park, stating that he doesn’t “work for Karen Bass.”

“Better get used to us now, because this is going to be normal very soon,” Bovino said.

The military action in the park prompted swift condemnation from leaders from around Los Angeles and Gov. Gavin Newsom, who called the MacArthur Park sweep a “disgrace.”

“Trump is doing everything he can to tear families apart and terrify hardworking communities,” L.A. City Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez, 13th District, said. “This should be a warning to the city and to the entire country that Trump is escalating his authoritarian takeover.”

“Was the plan to gun people down as they run away from masked agents who refuse to identify themselves?” U.S. Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) said. “This isn’t border enforcement and it isn’t making our communities safer.”

“The city of West Hollywood unequivocally condemns the ongoing ice raids that are targeting immigrant families across our region. These actions are not only disruptive. They are also discriminatory and deeply destabilizing to our communities,” West Hollywood Mayor Chelsea Byers said. “They sow fear in our neighborhoods, divide families and undermine public trust in the rule of law and due process. West Hollywood stands with cities across the region and rejects these tactics. We reaffirm our commitment to protecting the dignity, rights and humanity of all people, regardless of immigration status.”

Residents urged West Hollywood to take action against the ICE raids after an immigration raid at a West Hollywood car wash on July 4 resulted in the arrest of two employees.

The city of Beverly Hills did not join the lawsuit against the federal government. Unlike the neighboring cities of West Hollywood and Los Angeles, Beverly Hills does not have a “sanctuary city” policy that prevents local law enforcement from assisting with immigration detainments. It is unclear what the Beverly Hills Police Department’s specific policy is in regards to assisting with federal immigration raids.

However, Assistant City Manager Ryan Gohlich said in a statement that the city “follows all state and federal laws regarding interacting with other government entities, including law enforcement agencies.”

There has not been reported ICE activity in Beverly Hills.

In April, Beverly Hills Mayor Sharona Nazarian said that a formal position on immigration raids was not a concern for the city.

“I don’t think it’s really in our privy. We’re responsible for local governing. That’s a federal situation,” Nazarian said.