LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Mayor Karen Bass and Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Long Beach, Monday called for a congressional investigation into what they described as the "unlawful and unconstitutional" detainment and alleged abuse of U.S. citizens and immigrants by federal agents without a judicial warrant or probable cause.
Bass once again criticized the federal government for its aggressive and widespread immigration tactics. Democratic leaders representing the greater Los Angeles Area have denounced federal immigration enforcement since operations began in June.
"I will always stand up to protect Los Angeles. Reports of Angelenos — U.S. citizens — being Tased, dragged and unlawfully detained should make us all concerned," Bass said. "I'm calling for an immediate congressional investigation into these egregious injustices, and I thank Congressman Garcia for his support. This is not just an assault on people of Los Angeles -- this is an assault on every person, in every city in this country."
Garcia, a ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said American citizens are being dragged off the streets by masked men and thrown into detention cells without access to attorneys.
"No one, regardless of their background or appearance, should be living in fear of being thrown behind bars by their own government because of their race or what they look like," Garcia said.
"This is not the America we know and love. Every person in this country has rights, and DHS (Department of Homeland Security) must stop trampling on our civil liberties. Their actions are unconstitutional, unacceptable, and completely un-American, and we will not stop fighting until this administration is held accountable," Garcia added.
City Council members Eunisses Hernandez, Ysabel Jurado and Hugo Soto- Martinez joined Bass and Garcia for the news conference alongside a group of city workers and immigrant rights advocates.
"Angelenos are being beaten, terrorized and detained without due process," Hernandez said. "We must fight to keep democracy alive and hold federal immigration enforcement accountable for every abuse."
The Trump administration has maintained that federal immigration enforcement focuses on the removal of "violent criminals" and the "worst of the worst." Officials have also denied allegations that detainees are mistreated or held in substandard facilities while in custody.
Copyright 2025, City News Service, Inc.
