National Guards on horseback in MacArthur Park: What's happening in Los Angeles? Here's what Mayor Karen Bass, Gov Newsom said

Federal officers, including 90 National Guard troops on foot, horseback and military vehicles reached MacArthur Park in Los Angeles on Monday (July 7) - in what is now being called ‘show of force’. The federal officers on horseback fanned out in the mostly empty park, but it is unclear if the raids were done on specific information received by the Department of Homeland Security or if it was a routine visit. It is also not clear if anyone was arrested, as the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has yet to respond to the matter. The troops and officers left after about an hour. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass reached the location as the raids were still underway. The incident comes after US President Donald Trump deployed thousands of Guard members and active duty Marines in Los Angeles last month following protests over previous immigration raids.

What exactly happened at MacArthur Park and why?

The MacArthur Park is in a neighbourhood with large Mexican, Central American and other immigrant populations and is lined by businesses with signs in Spanish and other languages that have been dubbed by local officials as the “Ellis Island of the West Coast.” Mayor Karen Bass criticised the operation, saying that it was a "political stunt" and spectacle meant to intimidate the city’s immigrant communities. "What happened in MacArthur Park is outrageous and un-American. These raids must end," she said in a post on X. “The world needs to see the troop formation on horses walking through the park, in search of what? In search of what? They’re walking through the area where the children play,” Bass was quoted as saying by the news agency AP.

Governor Gavin Newsom termed the action as "theatre." "What a disgrace. What theater. Horseback running through kids soccer fields — says everything you need to know about the state of mind, the polluted heart of the President, and the polluted heart of Stephen Miller. We will continue to protect our diverse communities — pushing back against this cruelty being pushed by the President of the United States," he said in a post on X.

As per AP, the name of the park was changed to MacArthur Park for Army General Douglas MacArthur, who fought in WWII in 1942. Since the 1980s, the Westlake neighborhood has evolved into a densely populated immigrant neighborhood with the settlement of Indigenous people from Mexico and Central America and other groups. It is also home to several immigrant rights organizations and legal aid offices. In recent years, the park has drawn homeless encampments. Outreach teams work there regularly, treating people with drug addiction. In 2007, the park was the site of large May Day rallies to demand amnesty for immigrants without legal status that ended with police firing rubber bullets at protesters. Demonstrators later sued the city and received a $12.8 million settlement.