LA Mayor Karen Bass is putting wokeness on display with a new offer of cash assistance for illegal immigrants in the Los Angeles area, following the Trump Administration’s immigration crackdown and the violent anti-ICE riots that broke out in downtown LA in June.
For background, on July 11, 2025, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive directive for the purpose of supporting immigrant communities, which included a plan to provide cash assistance to illegal immigrants after what the mayor described as “six weeks of raids” by Immigraiton and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in LA.
In the executive directive, Mayor Bass outlined the rationale for her plan, saying, “We are a proud city of immigrants, and with the Trump Administration signaling that they will ratchet up their chaotic approach, I’m making sure we deploy every resource and tool available within the City to ensure that we are supporting immigrant communities.”
Continuing, the mayor said that Los Angeles officials “will continue pursuing legal relief through the courts,” adding that she is “issuing orders to all General Managers to bolster their response and support for immigrant communities.” She continued, “I will never accept these unlawful and chaotic raids and will continue to do all that I can to defend the rights of the people of Los Angeles.”
Moreover, the directive stated that Los Angeles will be establishing a “working group” that includes the Los Angeles Police Department, Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, and local immigrant rights organizations “to gather feedback in order to inform additional guidance for police officers when responding to immigration enforcement activities.”
Responding to the mayor’s directive in a statement to Fox News Digital, a White House spokesperson was incredulous, saying, “You’re telling me that isn’t a Babylon Bee headline?” The spokesperson added, “Recent immigration enforcement in California has resulted in successfully detaining countless violent criminals and liberating children from illegal labor exploitation. But instead of helping these children or putting American citizens first, Bass is doubling down on her defense of illegal aliens.”
Doubling down, the spokesperson criticized LA’s woke leadership further, saying, “Americans are sick of these pathetic stunts from Democrat politicians. That’s why they elected President Trump,” the spokesperson added. “They want someone who will put America First, and it’s certainly not Karen, Gavin & Co.”
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Furthermore, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino also responded to Mayor Bass’s opposition to ICE raids in Los Angeles, saying, “I don’t work for Karen Bass,” and adding, “Better get used to us now because this is going to be normal very soon. We will go anywhere, anytime we want in Los Angeles.” Bovino made these statements after Mayor Bass reportedly protested when National Guard troops and ICE were dispatched in Los Angeles’s MacArthur Park.
Featured image credit: Mayor Karen Bass via X