Huntington Park mayor directs police to enforce ICE agents' self-identification
'These are not lawful arrests. These are abductions,' said Mayor Flores. 'For more than a week, we have witnessed families being torn apart, children left without parents, and residents vanishing without explanation. Men dressed in tactical gear, operating unmarked vehicles without displaying credentials or agency affiliation, have infiltrated our neighborhoods in direct violation of our community's values, civil rights, and the basic principles of due process.'
Last week, a raid on a Huntington Park home, attended by U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, caused outrage in the community. The agency said that the federal immigration agents were targeting a man with a criminal record inside the home, but when about a half-dozen vehicles carrying heavily armed, masked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents converged on the home, it was occupied by a 28-year-old pregnant mother of four.
ICE agents and Noem eventually left the home empty-handed, and the children were allowed back inside. However, this was not the only raid reported in Huntington Park, according to the mayor, and other times, federal agents have been seen masking their faces and driving unmarked vehicles.
Flores said he's received reports of masked and unidentified individuals abducting residents in broad daylight. 'These actions have sparked rumors of unauthorized vigilantes or bounty hunters operating under the guise of federal enforcement, have triggered widespread fear and confusion throughout the community.'
This message also comes a day after protesters were seen facing off with masked men in the neighboring Southeast L.A. city of Bell, where a large crowd was seen surrounding unmarked vehicles with federal agents around. Several people were seen detained, and a large crowd continued to move in on the unmarked vehicles.
'This is not immigration enforcement. This is state-sanctioned intimidation,' said Flores. 'I am calling for the immediate cessation of these raids and for the Huntington Park Police Department to begin verifying the identities and authority of any individuals conducting such operations within city limits.'
The statement shared that the mayor formally directed the police department to enforce laws concerning unmarked vehicles, visible license plates and required agency identification. 'He is urging law enforcement to investigate and intervene in any unauthorized operations that place public safety or civil liberties at risk,' continued the message.
'We cannot allow Wild West-style bounty hunter tactics to unfold unchecked on our streets,' said Mayor Flores. 'Our residents deserve to know who is operating in their neighborhoods and under what authority. Allowing unidentified and unverified actors to engage in forceful detentions is not only reckless—it is dangerous and corrosive to the rule of law.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
29 minutes ago
- CNN
More tropical systems brew behind Erin
More tropical systems brew behind Erin Hurricane Erin is churning up life-threatening rip currents and dangerous surf along much of the US East Coast as another new tropical system brews in the peak of hurricane season over the next 4-6 weeks. 01:07 - Source: CNN Vertical Trending Now 12 videos More tropical systems brew behind Erin Hurricane Erin is churning up life-threatening rip currents and dangerous surf along much of the US East Coast as another new tropical system brews in the peak of hurricane season over the next 4-6 weeks. 01:07 - Source: CNN Federal immigration agents open fire on a family's vehicle Federal immigration agents opened fire on a family's vehicle during a targeted operation in San Bernardino, California. The Department of Homeland Security says that it was an act of self-defense after a man "struck two CBP officers with his vehicle." 01:45 - Source: CNN Nationwide demonstrations across Israel demanding hostage deal A planned nationwide strike in Israel on Sunday saw hundreds of thousands take part to call on the government to bring the remaining hostages in Gaza home. CNN's Oren Liebermann reports from Tel Aviv. 01:23 - Source: CNN Zines not hashtags: Gen-Z's new protest playbook Gen-Z activists are rethinking protest tools. Opting to go offline over concerns of misinformation and surveillance, zines offer another way to organize. For the latest "The Assignment" podcast episode, CNN's Audie Cornish speaks with artist and organizer Kennedy McDaniel about what's prompting the shift from hashtag activism. 01:51 - Source: CNN Canadian government orders end to Air Canada strike After more than 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants went on strike seeking wage increases and paid compensation for work when planes are on the ground, the Canada Industrial Relations Board has ordered them to return to work according to an announcement by Canadian Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu. 01:05 - Source: CNN Spike Lee's Reaction to Trump's Smithsonian Orders 'To roll back the clock' says Director Spike Lee to CNN's Victor Blackwell in response to President Donald Trump's Smithsonian orders. 01:14 - Source: CNN Russian media reacts positively to Trump-Putin Summit Russian state TV gave a positive coverage of the outcome of the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska, celebrating the handshake between the two leaders. Russian officials also stated that the meeting resulted in progress on sanctions and opened up room for future negotiations. CNN's Fred Pleitgen reports. 01:23 - Source: CNN London's toxic trash 'volcano' Arnolds Field landfill on Launders Lane in east London is better known to locals as the 'Rainham volcano.' The site was used as an illegal dump for years and now, every summer, it bursts into flames, sending plumes of acrid smoke over nearby homes, parks and schools. CNN's Laura Paddison speaks to residents who feel abandoned and trapped. 02:05 - Source: CNN Hong Kong twin pandas turn one Giant panda twins Jia Jia and De De celebrated their first birthdays in Hong Kong on Friday. The cubs were born last August to Ying Ying, who became the oldest giant panda on record to give birth. 00:43 - Source: CNN Football player's emotional press conference sparks conversation University of Nebraska freshman punter, Archie Wilson, left his home in Australia to play for the Cornhuskers. During a press conference, a reporter asked Wilson how he was doing being so far away from his family and his emotional reaction sparked a conversation around masculinity. Writer and philosopher Ryan Holiday joined CNN's Boris Sanchez to discuss. 01:29 - Source: CNN McDonald's Japan causes Pokémon food waste frenzy Piles of untouched Happy Meals littered sidewalks outside McDonald's restaurants in Japan over the weekend, as frenzied customers scrambled to buy limited-edition sets with Pokémon cards. CNN International Correspondent Hanako Montgomery has the story. 00:55 - Source: CNN Taylor Swift unveils album details on boyfriend Travis Kelce's podcast Taylor Swift announced her 12th studio album 'The Life of a Showgirl' will be released on October 3rd. Swift made an appearance on the podcast 'New Heights,' hosted by her boyfriend Travis Kelce and his brother Jason Kelce where they discussed the album 00:48 - Source: CNN
CNN
29 minutes ago
- CNN
Analysis: Gavin Newsom is owning the MAGAs. How far can he take it?
For months, the Democratic Party has been a massive vacuum. Its base has been crying out for someone to go toe-to-toe with MAGA and President Donald Trump and to rescue it from its post-2024 funk. Democratic motivation to participate in the midterms has been off the charts. But leaders who are able to seize on that have been all but absent. Until Gavin Newsom. Through happenstance and his oft-demonstrated political guile, the California governor is quickly raising his national profile. And you could forgive Democrats for seeing him as the potential future national leader they've been begging for. But whether that's good for the Democratic Party is another matter entirely. Newsom presents a riddle for Democrats. He often shows a kind of real and rare political talent – like he's doing right now – that may make his party wonder what could be if he put it all together. But he's also basically a caricature of the kind of candidate Republicans would want to run against. He's a California governor and former San Francisco mayor who practically oozes the word 'liberal.' The last two months-plus have put him on the map. First came a showdown with Trump over the president's decision to send the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles amid protests over the administration's deportations. Given it's the first time in 60 years that a president has done so without gubernatorial approval, Newsom is now in the position of fighting a major Trump power grab – and an apparently unpopular one – in a high-profile court case. But perhaps Newsom's biggest opportunity has come in recent weeks. He's become the face of Democrats' efforts to fight back against another MAGA/Trump power grab: their extraordinary effort to re-gerrymander Texas in the GOP's favor ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Newsom has promised that California will do the same for Democrats in retaliation, and this week he cued up a potential special election to make it happen. As with the fight over Trump's militarization of US soil, Newsom appears to benefit from where he stands. California is simply Democrats' best opportunity to fight back and offset the GOP's power play in Texas, because it's where Democrats could feasibly draw more districts in their favor. But Newsom has also seized on that opening with aplomb, as CNN's Edward-Isaac Dovere documented this week. Whether Newsom's redistricting gambit works is a major, unanswered question given California voters need to sign off. But if it does, he'll have been the rare Democrat to successfully get down and dirty in fighting back against Trump – something the base increasingly wants. Newsom has also raised his profile in recent days with an effort to mock Trump's style on social media. Liberals have eaten it up, particularly when Republicans and Fox News hosts make clear the joke has gone over their head. Trump and his allies have gotten great mileage out of 'owning the libs'; Newsom, more so than perhaps any Democratic politician in recent memory, is showing you can 'own the MAGAs,' too. (Newsom has also talked with right-wing influencers on his podcast, including Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon. Those moves have rubbed some on the left the wrong way, but they also suggest a politician who is willing and capable of engaging directly with the other side.) All of which should be encouraging for Democrats. At least one of their own is showing some wherewithal in charting a path forward, which has been sorely lacking with others. But that's different from saying the Democratic Party needs Newsom as its leader. On that, the jury very much remains out. And Democrats might be wary of Newsom filling too much of their vacuum. The governor remains unknown to many Americans. But among those who have offered views of him, he's been consistently underwater – and usually substantially so. A CNN poll last year, when Democrats were considering alternatives to then-President Joe Biden in the 2024 election, showed Americans viewed Newsom unfavorably 31%-21%. A Fox News poll with fewer undecideds showed his split at a negative 44%-35% among registered voters. Perhaps tellingly, both polls showed Newsom underwater with the vast majority of demographics, from young to old, from less-educated to more-educated, from rural to urban. Even young people and voters of color – two traditional Democratic constituencies – were lukewarm on him, at best. He didn't seem to have a real base. Fast forward to today, and things don't appear to be much better for Newsom – or at least, they didn't before the redistricting fight really kicked off. A Gallup poll conducted in mid July showed Americans viewed Newsom unfavorably by 11 points, 41%-30%. Those numbers are hardly unheard of; Newsom had plenty of company in being double-digits underwater, including Trump, Biden and several key Trump administration figures like Vice President JD Vance. But other Democratic-aligned politicians were better off. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont was plus-11, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York was only 4 points underwater. Unlike those two, Newsom engendered a lot more opposition among Republicans (minus-58) than he did support among Democrats (plus-42). And he was about as unpopular among independents (minus-15) as Biden (minus-18). All of these numbers could shift if and when Newsom truly breaks through on the national stage. But you could see a situation in which Newsom's stock in the 2028 presidential primary continues to rise in the absence of other Democrats being able to take the fight to Trump like he has. And that could leave the party with some difficult choices about its path forward.
Associated Press
29 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Trump's federal law-enforcement crackdown ripples through DC neighborhoods
WASHINGTON (AP) — The main drag in Washington's Columbia Heights neighborhood is typically crammed with people peddling pupusas, fresh fruit, souvenirs and clothing. On Tuesday, though, things felt different: The white tents that bulge with food and merchandise were scarcer than usual. 'Everything has stopped over the last week,' said Yassin Yahyaoui, who sells jewelry and glass figurines. Most of his customers and fellow vendors, he said, have 'just disappeared' — particularly if they speak Spanish. The abnormally quiet street was one of many pieces of evidence showing how President Donald Trump 's decision to flood the nation's capital with federal law enforcement and immigration agents has rippled through the city. While troop deployments and foot patrols in downtown areas and around the National Mall have gotten the most attention, life in historically diverse neighborhoods like Columbia Heights is being reshaped as well. The White House has credited Trump's crackdown with hundreds of arrests, while local officials have criticized the aggressive intervention in the city's affairs. The confrontation escalated on Tuesday as the top federal prosecutor in D.C. opened an investigation into whether police officials have falsified crime data, according to a person familiar with the situation who wasn't authorized to comment publicly. The probe could be used to bolster Trump's claims that the city is suffering from a 'crime emergency' despite statistics showing improvements. The mayor's office and the police department declined to comment. Stops are visible across the city Blocks away from where Yahyaoui had set up shop, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and local police stopped a moped driver delivering pizza. The agents drove unmarked cars and wore tactical vests; one covered his face with a green balaclava. They questioned the driver and required him to present documentation relating to his employment and legal residency status. No arrest was made. The White House said there have been 450 arrests since Aug. 7, when the federal operation began. The Trump administration has ramped up immigration enforcement and the president signed an executive order on Aug. 11 to put the police department under federal control for 30 days; extending that would require congressional approval. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said Trump was 'unapologetically standing up for the safety of law-abiding American citizens.' Bystanders have captured some of the arrests on video. On Saturday morning, Christian Enrique Carias Torres was detained during a scuffle with ICE agents, and the footage ricocheted around social media. An FBI agent's affidavit said Carias Torres kicked one of the agents in the leg and another was injured when he fell during the struggle and struck his head on the pavement. A stun gun was used to subdue Carias Torres, who was charged Tuesday with resisting arrest. An alphabet soup of federal agencies have been circulating in the city. In the Petworth neighborhood, roughly 20 officers from the FBI, Homeland Security, Park Police and U.S. Marshals descended on an apartment building on Tuesday morning. A man extended his hands out a window while officers cuffed him. Yanna Stelle, 19, who witnessed the incident, said she heard the chatter from walkie talkies as officers moved through the hallways. 'That was too many police first thing in the morning — especially for them to just be doing a warrant,' she said. More National Guard troops from other states are slated to arrive From his actions and remarks, Trump seems interested in ratcheting up the pressure. His administration has asked Republican-led states to send more National Guard troops . Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana, West Virginia, South Carolina and Ohio have agreed to deploy a total of 1,100 troops to the city, on top of the 800 from the D.C.-based National Guard. Resistance to that notion is starting to surface, both on the streets and in Congress. On Tuesday, Democratic Rep. Sam Liccardo of California introduced a bill that would require a report outlining the cost of any National Guard deployment unrelated to a natural disaster, as well as its legal basis. It would also require reporting on any Guard interactions with civilians and other aspects of the operation. Forty four Democrats have signed on in support, including Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Washington's non-voting delegate in the House of Representatives. While the measure stands little chance of passing while Republicans control the chamber, it's a sign of a wider Democratic response to Trump's unprecedented moves in Washington. 'Are L.A. and D.C. a test run for a broader authoritarian takeover of local communities?' Liccardo asked. He added that the country's founders were suspicious of 'executive control of standing armies.' Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, said that 'Democrats continue to side with criminals over law abiding Americans.' What kind of assistance will be offered? It's unclear what kind of help the National Guard will be able to provide when it comes to crime. 'The fact of the matter is that the National Guard are not law-enforcement trained, and they're not going into places where they would be engaged in law enforcement activity,' said Jeff Asher, a crime analyst and consultant at AH Datalytics. 'So I don't know that it's fair to expect much of it.' Trump declared in a social media post that his initiative has transformed Washington from 'the most unsafe 'city' in the United States' to 'perhaps the safest, and getting better every single hour!' The number of crimes reported in D.C. did drop by about 8% this week as compared to the week before, according to Metropolitan Police data. There was some variation within that data, with crimes like robberies and car thefts declining while burglaries increased a bit and homicides remained. Still, a week is a small sample size — far from enough time for data to show meaningful shifts, Asher said. Referring to the month-long period that D.C.'s home rule law allows the president to exert control over the police department, he said: 'I think 30 days is too short of a period to really say anything.' ___ Associated Press writers Michael Kunzelman, Alanna Durkin Richer, Jacquelyn Martin and Ashraf Khalil contributed to this report.
