Across Southern California, masked immigration agents have been operating in unmarked vehicles, detaining people in broad daylight without clearly identifying themselves. In several incidents—at a car wash in Bell, outside Dodger Stadium, in Pasadena, and at Home Depot in Playa Vista—bystanders watched in horror as heavily armed, balaclava-wearing men detained workers and disappeared into SUVs. In some cases, they pointed weapons at civilians, refused to present ID, and used tear gas on the public. The public safety implications are staggering.
What we are witnessing looks more like a kidnapping operation than anything resembling legitimate law enforcement. And that’s not just rhetoric. In Pasadena, one man was caught on video pulling a gun on a group of pedestrians, then driving off in a car with red and blue lights after flashing what appeared to be a badge. Local officials had no idea who he was. Even after reviewing footage, Pasadena Police Chief Gene Harris could only say that “to the best of our estimation” he was an ICE agent. The mayor of Pasadena, Victor Gordo, called the conduct a dangerous display of poor training and warned that someone could get shot.
The danger isn’t just hypothetical. On Tuesday, LAist reported that a man in Huntington Park was arrested on suspicion of impersonating a federal immigration agent. According to the police, he wore tactical gear, carried a firearm, and tried to detain people outside a business—mirroring the exact tactics ICE has been using across the region. Fortunately, the impersonator was caught. But the fact that he was able to blend in so easily should alarm everyone. When even law enforcement can’t tell who is or isn’t a real agent, it shows how ICE’s masked, unmarked raids have created the perfect cover for vigilantes and criminals to exploit.
Huntington Park Mayor Arturo Flores has been one of the few officials to name this crisis for what it is. He called the raids “political theater” and is introducing a motion that would require any federal agents operating in the city to clearly identify themselves. Flores posed the critical question: “What happens if you have bad actors who decide to throw on an olive drab outfit and go around abducting people?” Thanks to ICE’s current tactics, we now know the answer.
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass has insisted that LAPD is not cooperating with ICE. But that claim does not hold up to scrutiny. Reporting from *LA Public Press* and eyewitness accounts confirm that LAPD officers have been present at recent ICE operations, including the Playa Vista raid, where they stood by while ICE detained workers and prevented the public from getting close. In at least one instance, LAPD officers responded to a 911 call about a suspected kidnapping—only to discover it was an ICE operation. So when Bass says there’s no collaboration, she’s either misinformed or deliberately misleading the public.
This isn’t just about immigration enforcement. It’s about the erosion of public trust, the breakdown of democratic accountability, and the rising threat of lawless violence masquerading as official action. When agents operate anonymously in public spaces, without uniforms, name tags, or warrants, the distinction between state authority and criminal conduct collapses. And now, as the Huntington Park arrest makes clear, anyone can exploit that collapse.
Los Angeles and other cities must follow Huntington Park’s lead and move quickly to pass legal requirements mandating that any law enforcement officers operating in their jurisdictions be clearly and visibly identified. That means no full-face masks, no unmarked vehicles, and no detentions without proper ID. If ICE refuses to comply, city departments—especially LAPD—must be ordered not to assist, not to stand by, and not to legitimize this chaos.