LA Mayor Furious After Immigration Agents Gather Outside Newsom’s Resistance Press Conference

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass bristled on Thursday after dozens of Border Patrol agents appeared outside of California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press conference.

Newsom held a highly touted press conference on Thursday to outline California’s plan to counter GOP redistricting efforts in Texas. During Newsom’s remarks, roughly 100 federal officers gathered just outside the venue, the Japanese American National Museum, in preparation for an apparent raid in the area.

“There is no way this was a coincidence. This was widely publicized that the governor and many of our other elected officials were having a press conference here to talk about redistricting, and they decided they were going to come and thumb their nose in front of the governor’s face. Why would you do that? That is unbelievably disrespectful. It’s a provocative act,” said Bass later.

“They’re talking about disorder in Los Angeles, and they are the source of the disorder in Los Angeles right now. This is just completely unacceptable,” she continued. “This is an administration, this is a Customs and Border Patrol that has gone amok. This absolutely has to stop. There was no danger here, there was no need to detain anyone here, and there was certainly no need to have a provocative act right here where the governor is having a press conference.”

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Newsom’s office posted a video on social media of some of the federal agents, suggesting that the agents were ordered there as an act of intimidation.

“BORDER PATROL HAS SHOWED UP AT OUR BIG BEAUTIFUL PRESS CONFERENCE! WE WILL NOT BE INTIMIDATED!” an X account for Newsom’s office posted.

BORDER PATROL HAS SHOWED UP AT OUR BIG BEAUTIFUL PRESS CONFERENCE! WE WILL NOT BE INTIMIDATED! pic.twitter.com/Bu4gmbeY40

— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) August 14, 2025

Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin denied Bass’ accusation, saying in a statement that U.S. Customs and Border Patrol regularly “patrols all areas of Los Angeles every day with over 40 teams on the ground to make LA safe.”

“Our law enforcement operations are about enforcing the law — not about Gavin Newsom,” she added.

During the press conference, Newsom announced plans to hold a special election that would allow California’s legislature to redraw its congressional map. California’s map is currently set by an independent commission. Even so, out of California’s 52 congressional districts, just nine are held by Republicans despite President Donald Trump earning nearly 40% of vote in 2024.