At a City Hall press conference, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Monday condemned recent actions by U.S. federal agents and urged Congress to investigate reports of "unlawful and unconstitutional abduction, detainment, and alleged abuse" of people in the city.
Bass stressed that "reports of Angelenos – U.S. citizens – being tased, dragged, and unlawfully detained by federal agents without a judicial warrant or probable cause should make us all concerned." She called for an immediate Congressional probe into these egregious injustices, calling them "an assault on every person, in every city in this country."
The press conference included Congressman Robert Garcia, ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, members of the Los Angeles City Council, and immigrant rights advocates.
Garcia highlighted widespread accounts of masked federal agents grabbing American citizens off the street and placing them in detention cells "without access to a lawyer or even a phone call." He condemned these actions as "unconstitutional, unacceptable, and completely un-American," saying "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."
According to Garcia's office, the lawmaker has written to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, demanding information and records after "widespread reports of wrongful detentions of U.S. citizens by DHS agents." In a recent statement, his office cited a ProPublica report that 170 American citizens have been arrested by the Department of Homeland Security.
The push for oversight reflects growing concerns about civil liberties and the balance of power in federal anti-immigration operations. A Congressional investigation could shed light on these practices and shape future policies on accountability and human rights.
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LA mayor seeks probe into U.S. federal agents' 'unlawful' actions
cgtn.com
