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“Anti-ICE” signs are reportedly popping up all over official buildings in Los Angeles at the order of Democratic Mayor Karen Bass, who is running for re-election.
Bass ordered the signs to be installed at over 450 sites in order to warn federal agents against entering and using the locations to launch immigration enforcement operations.
‘This whole thing is silly. The signs have no legal weight, force, or effect on anything.’
“I will not stand by while federal agents use our neighborhoods as staging grounds for fear and intimidation,” Bass said in a statement to KTTV-TV. “In Los Angeles, we are setting clear boundaries: City property will not be used to carry out these raids.”
Bill Essayli, the first assistant United States attorney for the Central District of California, derided the signs and the order from Bass.
“I just think this whole thing is silly. The signs have no legal weight, force, or effect on anything the federal government does,” he said. “Federal agents will go anywhere they need to go to enforce federal law, including city property.”
He went on to deny the signs would prevent federal officers from performing their duty.
“No. Not at all. They’re null and void. They mean nothing to us,” he said of the signs.
The signs read as follows:
“This property is owned or controlled by the city of Los Angeles. It may only be used for its intended city purpose and not used for immigration enforcement as a staging area, processing location, or operations base.”
The sign prominently cites Mayor Bass, whose beleaguered re-election campaign has been hamstrung by low approval ratings from Angelenos.
While L.A. municipal races are technically nonpartisan, Bass is a prominent member of the Democratic Party. She even gave a speech at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
KTTV said officials did not say how much the signage cost the city, but the news outlet estimated it could have cost about $250,000.
The signs are posted at transit hubs, parks, libraries, zoos, and parking lots.
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