Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is facing criticism after refusing to engage with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following recent unrest tied to immigration enforcement actions in the city.
Despite growing public concern over illegal immigration and strong support for President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda, Bass signaled she is not open to dialogue with federal immigration authorities.
The latest flashpoint came after a Fox News producer asked Mayor Bass on Tuesday if she would consider meeting with ICE officials to discuss potential cooperation. According to Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin, Bass rejected the idea outright.
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“A @FoxNews producer asked LA Mayor Karen Bass this morning if she would be willing to meet with ICE and if there is a deal to be made re: ICE cooperation,” Melugin reported on X.
“Bass said the only deal is for ICE to go home, and she gave no indication she would be willing to meet w/the agency.”
NEW: A @FoxNews producer asked LA Mayor Karen Bass this morning if she would be willing to meet with ICE and if there is a deal to be made re: ICE cooperation.
Bass said the only deal is for ICE to go home, and she gave no indication she would be willing to meet w/ the agency.
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) July 1, 2025
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The exchange comes in the wake of anti-ICE protests and riots in Los Angeles following enforcement actions targeting individuals with final removal orders. These demonstrations escalated into vandalism, arson, and clashes with law enforcement over the weekend.
ICE officials responded swiftly to Bass’s comments, issuing a statement through Emily Covington, Assistant Director of the ICE Office of Public Affairs. The agency criticized the mayor’s unwillingness to cooperate and referenced her recent absence from the city during critical events.
“ICE isn’t going anywhere and will continue to do what Mayor Bass has utterly failed to do — protect the citizens of Los Angeles,” Covington said. “If she wants distance from federal law enforcement, I’m sure there is an upcoming diplomatic trip to Ghana.”
NEW: ICE responds to Bass w/ blistering statement & pokes her over her Ghana visit:
“ICE isn’t going anywhere and will continue to do what Mayor Bass has utterly failed to do – protect the citizens of Los Angeles. If she wants distance from federal law enforcement, I’m sure…
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) July 1, 2025
The agency’s statement follows increasing tension between federal immigration enforcement and Democratic-led jurisdictions that have adopted non-cooperation policies.
ICE maintains that such stances undermine public safety and create obstacles to removing individuals with criminal convictions or final removal orders.
In response to public backlash over her remarks, Mayor Bass weighed in on social media.
Rather than addressing the original issue of cooperation with ICE, she responded to former Trump administration official Stephen Miller, who had described her comments as “the language of insurrection.”
NEW: ICE responds to Bass w/ blistering statement & pokes her over her Ghana visit:
“ICE isn’t going anywhere and will continue to do what Mayor Bass has utterly failed to do – protect the citizens of Los Angeles. If she wants distance from federal law enforcement, I’m sure…
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) July 1, 2025
Bass replied to Miller’s post, though her response did not directly defend her stance on ICE.
The act of insurrection. https://t.co/PYZR5yYMNB pic.twitter.com/U1h1Srhvgx
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) July 2, 2025
Miller followed up by sharing an image from the Los Angeles riots, showing a masked individual waving a foreign flag while standing on top of a burning vehicle — an image that had circulated widely in the wake of the weekend’s events.
I think this is the photo you’re looking for: https://t.co/WY785sLf4b pic.twitter.com/GnyI8mDtoc
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) July 2, 2025
Bass has not issued any additional statements following the exchange.
The events in Los Angeles underscore the broader national divide over immigration enforcement.
As public opinion continues to shift in favor of stricter border control and enforcement, many elected Democrats remain resistant to engaging with federal immigration agencies, even in the wake of violence and disorder in their cities.
Polling has shown strong support among voters for policies championed by President Donald Trump to restore immigration enforcement, secure the border, and support agencies like ICE.
The refusal by some Democrat officials to work with these agencies, critics argue, places political ideology above public safety.
The situation in Los Angeles is likely to become a flashpoint in future political campaigns. Republican strategists have pointed to statements like Bass’s as emblematic of a broader Democratic position that could prove unpopular with voters heading into the 2026 election cycle.
ICE officials have made clear that, regardless of local resistance, they will continue enforcing immigration law under federal authority. The agency’s operations are expected to continue across jurisdictions, including sanctuary cities where cooperation is limited.
As tensions between federal agencies and local governments escalate, the issue of immigration enforcement remains central to the political landscape, with sharp contrasts between the Biden-era resistance to cooperation and the Trump administration’s renewed emphasis on law and order.
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