We stand in solidarity with all immigrant and migrant communities and reaffirm our commitment to protecting human rights, promoting equity, and resisting any efforts to divide our communities through fear and misinformation. Los Angeles will continue to be a city of refuge, resistance, and resilience.
Los Angeles was never in danger from the throngs legally and peacefully protesting the Trump Administration’s illegal and unconstitutional abductions by ICE of immigrants and citizens, denying due process, only because of the color of their skin and ethnic makeup. It is in danger, now, due to the administration’s unconstitutional reaction to place a contingency of marines in Los Angeles – a contingency greater than the number of marines currently in Iraq – against the wishes of the state, against the wishes of the city.
Throughout his presidencies, Mr. Trump has repeatedly attacked sanctuary cities like Los Angeles, threatening federal funding and promoting divisive policies that sought to vilify immigrants and sow fear in our neighborhoods. His administration’s aggressive ICE raids, family separations, and the demonization of Latine, Black, Asian, and Middle Eastern immigrant populations inflicted lasting harm on countless families and betrayed our nation’s values of inclusion, justice, and opportunity.
Who will be next?
Los Angeles is a proud city of immigrants. its diversity is our strength. Attempts to scapegoat immigrant communities and paint them as threats to public safety are not only baseless but dangerous. These policies and statements were rooted in xenophobia, not fact. They fostered mistrust, separated families, and undermined the constitutional protections that every person—regardless of status—is entitled to.
We must be clear — the way in which the Trump administration claims it is combating an imaginary “foreign invasion” is not about protecting the country — it is instead overtly abusing the issues to divide Americans, undermine democracy, and harm vulnerable communities.
Five years ago, following the death of George Floyd, I wrote that “it is time for our nation to come together in support of basic human and civil rights through action.” Now, as our country faces another Trump-created rise in US protests we cannot allow manufactured wedge issues to be used to justify policies that target immigrants and other minorities, suppress free speech, or erode democratic norms.
We must be resolute and make the necessary changes to support human dignity of all people
yearning for a better life. We all must do our part to build an America where justice, equity, and opportunity are available to all.