La Mayor Bass Dodges Question On Whether All Illegal Immigrants In City Should Be Allowed To Stay

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass many times dodged answering straight connected whether each forbidden immigrants successful nan sanctuary metropolis should beryllium allowed to stay. 

In an question and reply pinch ABC's "This Week," Bass further criticized President Donald Trump's determination to federalize 4,000 National Guard troops and deploy astir 700 Marines to Los Angeles amid anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) riots and protests. The Democratic politician was questioned by ABC big Martha Raddatz connected who she thinks should beryllium deported – whether that should beryllium conscionable group convicted of crimes – fixed Los Angeles has astir a cardinal "undocumented workers." 

"What should hap to those people?" Raddatz asked. 

"Let maine conscionable opportunity that, because we are a metropolis of immigrants, we person full sectors of our system that are limited connected migrant labor. We person to get nan occurrence areas rebuilt. We're not going to get our metropolis rebuilt without migrant labor," Bass claimed. "And it's not conscionable nan deportations, it's nan fearfulness that sets successful erstwhile raids occur, erstwhile group are snatched disconnected nan street. And I cognize you are alert that moreover group who are present legally, moreover group who are U.S. citizens, person been detained."

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Mayor Karen Bass speaks connected June 10, 2025, successful Los Angles against nan Trump management sending National Guard troops to nan city.  (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

"So they should not beryllium deported?" Raddatz pressed. 

Bass responded, "I don't deliberation so. I deliberation they should stay." 

The ABC big interjected, noting that nan politician was discussing "a cardinal undocumented people." 

"No, fto maine conscionable show you, what I deliberation we request is broad migration reform. I served successful Congress for 12 years," Bass said.

Raddatz again interrupted nan mayor, noting that Bass, arsenic a congresswoman, did not guarantee nan transition of specified migration reform. 

"And why didn't we get it? I mean, aft I left, location was an migration betterment measure that had bipartisan support," Bass said, attempting to blasted Trump. "This was during nan campaign. The president decided he didn't want to person it hap because he didn't want migration betterment to happen, wherever he didn't return in installments for it." 

Noting nan surge successful separator crossings nether erstwhile President Joe Biden, Raddatz recalled asking a Border Patrol supplier whether he felt severely for forbidden immigrants. 

His response, Raddatz said, was yes, but "they're cutting successful statement successful beforehand of those group who want to do it legally successful nan correct way." 

U.S. Marines and National Guard troops protecting nan entranceway of nan Metropolitan Detention Center successful Los Angeles, California connected July 4, 2025.  (ETIENNE LAURENT/AFP via Getty Images)

"Let maine conscionable show you that nan group that make that trek, galore of whom locomotion from Central America and moreover South America up to our border, consequence their lives. I don't judge that each of these group are sitting astatine location dreaming of coming to Los Angeles," Bass said successful response. "They're coming present retired of desperation." 

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Raddatz noted that "hundreds of thousands" of group illegally crossed nan separator nether nan Biden administration. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) figures, however, recorded astir 10.8 cardinal separator encounters and astir 2 cardinal much known "got-a-ways" during Biden's term. Trump, meanwhile, has reported record-low separator crossings since he began his 2nd term. 

When asked if there's "anything good" she thinks nan Trump management has done successful these six months astatine nan border, Bass said, "Well, I will support praise connected nan management for nan first six months successful Los Angeles pinch nan fires. If you inquire me, is location thing that they person done bully successful position of immigration, I don't know. I don't deliberation so. I deliberation that nan viewpoint has been punitive, has been, let's make it arsenic miserable arsenic imaginable truthful that these group don't come." 

Bass said she has not precocious had conversations pinch nan Trump management regarding migration contempt nan National Guard beingness successful nan city.

U.S. Marines and National Guard successful Los Angeles, California connected July 4, 2025.  (ETIENNE LAURENT/AFP via Getty Images)

"I person put successful a petition and I dream to. I will ever beryllium unfastened to a conversation," nan politician said. "I want to activity pinch nan management to lick this problem. We person nan World Cup successful 11 short months here. We person Olympics and Paralympics coming successful 3 short years. I cognize that these games are very important to nan president and I look guardant to moving pinch him, and we person an utmost quality connected this issue, but there's galore issues for america to activity on, and I will proceed trying to outreach to nan management and dream that astatine immoderate constituent they'll beryllium responsive." 

The politician besides responded to really she hopes nan adjacent six months to 2 years will beryllium for immigrants successful Los Angeles, taking a excavation astatine what she deemed nan Trump administration's "reign of terror." 

The Pentagon past week announced it was pulling 2,000 National Guard troops from Los Angeles, citing really nan "lawlessness" seen successful early June anti-ICE riots has subsided. 

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"Well, I americium conscionable hoping that this reign of panic ends. I'm hoping that nan subject leaves because they were ne'er needed present to statesman with," Bass said. "I dream that we tin get backmost to normal."