Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a televised interview on 12 Aug 2025 that the city maintains a “rapid response network” that alerts residents when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents appear in their neighborhoods. Bass encouraged people to warn others if they see “masked men getting out of unmarked cars” and described some past immigration detentions as “kidnappings.” Her comments come after ICE agents carried out raids earlier in the week at several Los Angeles locations, including a Home Depot store and a local high school. The arrest operations have rekindled long-standing tension between city officials, who have limited cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, and the Department of Homeland Security. On 13 Aug immigrant advocacy groups gathered in MacArthur Park, calling for a 24-hour community strike to protest the latest ICE actions. Demonstrators later marched toward federal buildings downtown under police watch, chanting support for undocumented workers and denouncing the agency’s tactics. Conservative critics accused Bass of obstructing federal law enforcement, while organizers behind the alert system said it is intended to safeguard civil rights during immigration sweeps. ICE and DHS have not publicly responded to the mayor’s remarks or the protests.