Los Angeles leaders are demanding answers after federal immigration agents reportedly detained more than 100 U.S. citizens in recent enforcement operations across Southern California.
Standing alongside immigrant rights groups in downtown Los Angeles on Monday, Mayor Karen Bass and Rep. Robert Garcia announced plans to launch a major investigation into the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) conduct, pledging to hold a congressional hearing in Los Angeles to examine the detentions.
“What started in L.A. has now spread around the country,” Bass said at the news conference, describing the probe as part of a broader effort to hold federal agencies accountable for what she called “overreach in immigration enforcement.”
Bass, who has criticized the Trump administration’s targeted immigration actions since they began in June, said the hearings will look into the detainment of at least 170 U.S. citizens by Homeland Security, as well as a separate hearing focused on the arrests of thousands of undocumented immigrants.
“It’s important that we say today, that what is happening to undocumented immigrants, is also happening to U.S. citizens which means that this can happen to anyone, to all of us, at any period of time,” Bass said.
Garcia, who serves as a ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, said his Democratic colleagues are creating a special unit to document ICE’s tactics in and around Los Angeles.
“We want to understand what they’re doing in our neighborhoods, how it is being funded and our committee is looking at tracking and investigating DHS,” Garcia said.
While no date has been set for the first hearing, Garcia urged Angelenos to attend once it’s scheduled.
The announcement follows a recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in September, which lifted a lower court’s restraining order and allowed federal agents to resume immigration sweeps in Los Angeles.
In response to the ruling, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors declared a local state of emergency, citing widespread community fear and the economic impact of the raids on local businesses.
“We must document these violations so that our constitutional, civil, and human rights do not perish,” said Hortencia Ramirez, an organizer with One L.A.
KTLA has reached out to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
In the past, both agencies have said their enforcement operations target “individuals with violent criminal histories and those interfering with legal federal operations.”
Rachel Menitoff’s reporting contributed to this article.
