Los AngelesMayor Karen Bassis condemning federal agents andNational Guard troopsfor descending on a city park on Monday, July 7. Armored vehicles, mounted officers and armed troops briefly swarmed the city's MacArthur Park Monday morning before leaving. Bass said 20 children were playing at the park before the troops surged through and shared footage of federal officers running through the park. "Franky, it is outrageous and un-American that we have federal armed vehicles in our parks when nothing is going on in our parks," Bass said at a Monday news conference. "It is outrageous and un-American that the federal government that seized our state's National Guard. It's outrageous and un-American that we have U.S. Marines who are trained to kill foreign soldiers overseas, deployed in our American city." The mayorsaid on Xthat she visited the park the second she heard about what was happening and ordered the person in charge to leave immediately. Calling the scene "absolutely outrageous," she described what occurred as a "military-style operation designed to strike fear in the heart of our city." "We will not be afraid and we will not be divided. We will stand TOGETHER," she wrote. According to anX postfrom the Department of Defense, troops were present at the park to "ensure the safety of federal agents." Los Angeles City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, whose district encompasses MacArthur Park,said on Xthat armed troops were "terrorizing street vendors, elders, and even children at summer camp." USA TODAY has reached out to the National Guard for comment. Bass has criticized the National Guard presence in LA, arguing that it is abnormal for them to be deployed without a governor's request. Last month,President Donald Trumpdeployed 4,000 National Guard troops and700 Marinesto the city in response toprotests against federal immigration enforcement. The president has defended the decision, writing onTruth Socialthat "if we didn't send out the National Guard—Los Angeles would be burning right now!" Defense officials said thePentagon spent $134 millionfor the 60-day deployment. Bryn MacDonnel, a special assistant to the defense secretary, explained that the costs included travel, housing and food, adding the funds came out of operations and maintenance accounts. Gov. Gavin Newsomattempted to block the federal incursion in California and laterfiled a lawsuit against Trumpand accused the president, as well as Secretary of DefensePete Hegseth, of trying to use the assets to help ICE conduct raids. Contributing: James Powel and Bart Jansen, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:LA mayor calls federal agent presence 'outrageous' at MacArthur Park
