ICE Situation in LA

Los Angeles, a city built by immigrants, is once again at the center of a growing storm. ICE raids have increased, with communities being targeted under the claim of “public safety.” People are being detained, threatened with deportation, and forced to live in fear, all under the justification that they are “criminals.” But let’s be honest, this isn’t about crime. It’s not about safety. It’s about control. It’s about power. And yes, it’s about racism.

What ICE is doing is completely wrong. These are families. Hardworking people. Mothers and fathers dropping their kids off at school, only to get picked up by plainclothes agents in unmarked vehicles. Students who grew up here, who only know this country as home, being told they don’t belong. It’s a nightmare happening in the daylight.

What makes it even worse is the glaring hypocrisy. We’re watching a political system that targets immigrants as “criminals” while simultaneously embracing a convicted felon as a presidential candidate. How does that make any sense? You want to deport someone working two jobs to feed their kids, but vote in someone who has been found guilty of 34 felonies? If that’s not proof this has nothing to do with the law and everything to do with race, I don’t know what is.

LA is supposed to be a sanctuary city. A place of diversity, inclusion, and opportunity. But what good is that label when ICE can still rip people from their homes, when fear still lingers in our neighborhoods, when people are afraid to report crimes or even go to the hospital? That’s not sanctuary. That’s surveillance with better branding.

And for those who argue that “laws are laws,” let’s not forget that laws have always been used as weapons when they’re written and enforced by people with an agenda. Slavery was legal. Segregation was legal. Japanese internment was legal. That doesn’t make it right. And it sure doesn’t make it just.

What’s happening in Los Angeles is more than a policy issue. It’s a moral one. And we all have a responsibility to speak out against it. To stop pretending like this is just the way things are. To stand in solidarity with our immigrant communities, not just when it’s trending, but when it’s hard. When it’s scary. When it matters most.