Last week in Los Angeles, violent and excessive raids were carried out across the city with masked, unmarked federal agents in tactical gear with armored vehicles ripping people from their families, workplaces, schools, and communities. The people of Los Angeles are taking to the streets and demonstrating in opposition to the Trump administration’s excessive and violent attacks on their neighbors and family members. They are rejecting this government’s disregard for fundamental rights and human dignity. We stand in solidarity with the people of Los Angeles and with immigrant communities across the country, and condemn President Trump for deploying the National Guard and Marines to silence those who denounce the cruelty of ICE.
We believe that the administration’s actions are not designed to restore peace, but to escalate the situation for political gain. They are attempting to paint a picture that immigrants are synonymous with violent criminals, and we are gravely concerned that the administration will (1) use Los Angeles to expand its use of military force in other major cities, and (2) use Los Angeles to galvanize its racist base.
We must reject these tactics. Los Angeles is not a “war zone”; it is home to many immigrant communities who deserve to live in peace, without the fear of violent detentions and family separations. The government’s raids across this country are violent, excessive, and un-American. They are against our values and must end immediately.
We uplift the words of United Methodist Bishop Escobedo-Frank from her Statement.
“I am calling for those in power to remove their weapons of warfare from our loving neighborhoods, our peaceful cities, and our welcoming states. Use your power for good, and not for evil. Protect those who suffer, including the immigrant brothers, sisters, and neighbors among us.”