Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is drawing sharp criticism after comparing the economic and social impact of recent federal immigration enforcement actions to the devastating effects of the COVID-19 lockdowns her own party championed just a few years ago.
During a weekend tour of small businesses in the heavily immigrant neighborhood of Boyle Heights, Bass likened the fear and uncertainty gripping the area amid federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids to the early days of the pandemic, when state-imposed lockdowns turned once-bustling streets into ghost towns.
“It’s the uncertainty that continues that has an absolute economic impact,” Bass told the Los Angeles Times. “But it is pretty profound to walk up and down the streets and to see the empty streets — it reminded me of COVID.”
The Los Angeles Times, notably avoiding the word “illegal” in its coverage, reported that local restaurants told Bass the raids were hurting business even more than the pandemic, as there had been no uptick in takeout orders to offset the lack of dine-in customers. Bass attributed the worsening economic conditions not only to fear but to reduced disposable income, claiming many residents are now afraid to leave their homes or even go to work.
The irony of Bass’s remarks wasn’t lost on critics. During the pandemic, Bass and fellow Democrats aggressively pushed for business shutdowns, school closures, and mask mandates in California — measures that triggered mass layoffs, shuttered thousands of small businesses, and, as subsequent studies showed, had limited long-term benefit in preventing viral spread.
Now, Bass appears to be criticizing a federal crackdown on illegal immigration — something many voters support — by comparing it to a crisis her own party actively helped facilitate and prolong. Her suggestion that the ICE raids are fueling economic instability sparked a renewed of criticism from immigration hawks and pandemic policy opponents alike.
Many also took issue with Bass’s implicit framing of the raids as unjust or destabilizing, without acknowledging the legal basis behind them. As federal immigration authorities continue targeted efforts to arrest and deport illegal immigrants — particularly in sanctuary jurisdictions like Los Angeles — supporters of tougher enforcement argue that lawbreakers should not receive protection at the expense of border integrity or national sovereignty.
Moreover, critics pointed to what they see as a disturbing double standard: while Bass now decries the fear and isolation caused by federal law enforcement actions, she and others in her party were largely silent — or even enthusiastic — when COVID lockdowns imposed similar or worse conditions on law-abiding citizens.
Bass has also stirred controversy for remarks suggesting the current protests and unrest in Los Angeles are the fault of Trump-era immigration policy. In her conversation with the Times, she hinted that the ongoing tensions could ease only if ICE raids stop — a statement some viewed as an implicit justification for civil unrest.
The mayor’s comments come at a time when national sentiment on immigration is shifting. Recent polling shows, for the first time, a majority of Americans now support deporting all illegal immigrants — a dramatic shift likely fueled overwhelmed public services, rising crime rates in sanctuary jurisdictions and exacerbated by violent riots. In this climate, comments like Bass’s may only further alienate voters already disillusioned by inconsistent messaging and double standards from political leaders.
As the 2024 election aftermath continues to reshape political alliances, Bass’s remarks risk placing her — and the Democratic establishment in California — further out of step with a growing number of Americans demanding border security and the consistent application of the law.
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You can basically ignore anything this useful idjit spouts.
BASS should be prosecuted and jailed. She’s as useless as Newscum.