Bovino Leads Military-Style Raid on MacArthur Park as Children Flee, Defies Mayor Bass

On July 7, 2025, Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino led a military-style immigration enforcement operation in MacArthur Park, Los Angeles, deploying agents on horseback, in armored vehicles, and with helicopter support while over 20 children were attending a summer camp in the park. Video footage shows Bovino personally manning a tear gas canister as children and families fled. When LA Mayor Karen Bass arrived and demanded the operation cease, Bovino openly defied her authority, declaring: “I don’t work for Karen Bass. Better get used to us now, because this is going to be normal very soon. We will go anywhere, anytime we want in Los Angeles.”

The Operation: Military Tactics in Public Park

The enforcement operation began around 10:45 a.m. on a Monday morning in MacArthur Park, a heavily immigrant neighborhood in central Los Angeles. The park was actively being used by the community, including a summer camp with over 20 children.

Federal Assets Deployed:

• Mounted officers: Border Patrol agents on horseback
• Armored vehicles: Military-style tactical vehicles
• Unmarked white vans: For transporting detained individuals
• Aerial support: Black DHS helicopter circling overhead
• SWAT-style teams: Heavily armed agents in tactical gear

Timing and Location: The operation occurred in late morning on a weekday when the park was in active community use. MacArthur Park is a major recreational space in a predominantly Latino neighborhood, located in the Westlake District of Los Angeles. The park serves as a central gathering place for the immigrant community.

Children Fleeing as Bovino Mans Tear Gas

According to multiple witness accounts and news reports, video footage from the scene captured a disturbing sequence:

Children Present: More than 20 children who had been attending a summer camp were playing in the park minutes before the raid. The sudden deployment of federal agents created panic and chaos.

Bovino with Tear Gas: Video shows Gregory Bovino personally manning a tear gas canister during the operation as children and families fled the park. While no tear gas was ultimately deployed (no arrests were made during this operation), Bovino’s visible preparation to use chemical agents against civilians in a space occupied by children demonstrated the aggressive posture of the enforcement action.

Children Fleeing: Witnesses described children running from the park as the heavily armed federal agents descended. Parents and camp counselors scrambled to evacuate children from the area as helicopters circled overhead and mounted officers entered the park.

Mayor Bass Confronts Bovino

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, alerted to the operation, personally traveled to MacArthur Park and confronted the federal agents. Bass demanded that the operation cease immediately and that agents withdraw from the park.

Bass’s Position:

• Called the operation “unacceptable”
• Demanded agents leave the park
• Invoked LA’s sanctuary city policies
• Cited the presence of children and community members using public space
• Attempted to assert city authority over federal immigration enforcement

Bovino’s Defiant Response:

Bovino was personally on the phone with Mayor Bass during the confrontation. His response, which he later recounted to Fox News, represents an extraordinary statement of federal defiance of local authority:

“I don’t work for Karen Bass. Better get used to us now, because this is going to be normal very soon. We will go anywhere, anytime we want in Los Angeles.”

This statement explicitly:

• Rejected any local authority over federal operations
• Threatened ongoing aggressive enforcement (“this is going to be normal”)
• Asserted unlimited federal authority to conduct operations anywhere in the city
• Dismissed concerns about sanctuary policies, community safety, or children’s presence
• Framed aggressive enforcement as the “new normal” for Los Angeles

No Arrests Made - Show of Force

Notably, despite the massive deployment of federal resources and the military-style operation, no arrests were made during the MacArthur Park raid.

Implications: The operation appears to have been designed primarily as:

• Show of force: Demonstrating federal willingness to operate in immigrant communities
• Intimidation: Creating fear and disrupting community life
• Political statement: Challenging LA’s sanctuary city status
• Testing response: Gauging community and political reaction to aggressive tactics

The fact that no one was detained despite the deployment of mounted officers, armored vehicles, and helicopter support suggests the operation’s purpose was demonstrative rather than focused on specific enforcement targets.

Mayor Bass’s “Outrageous and Un-American” Assessment

In subsequent statements, Mayor Bass characterized the MacArthur Park operation as “outrageous and un-American”—language she would use repeatedly to describe Bovino’s enforcement tactics in Los Angeles.

Bass’s criticism focused on:

• Use of military-style tactics in civilian spaces
• Presence of children being used as targets/witnesses of aggressive enforcement
• Violation of community norms and expectations in sanctuary city
• Federal overreach into local affairs

However, Bass had limited legal authority to prevent federal immigration enforcement operations within Los Angeles city limits, despite the city’s sanctuary policies.

Pattern: First Documented Bovino Tear Gas Incident

The MacArthur Park operation on July 7, 2025, represents the first documented instance of Gregory Bovino personally handling tear gas equipment during an immigration enforcement operation.

This pattern would repeat and escalate:

• July 7, 2025 (MacArthur Park, LA): Bovino mans tear gas canister, children flee
• October 23, 2025 (Little Village, Chicago): Bovino throws tear gas at protesters, violates court order
• November 6, 2025: Federal judge finds Bovino lied about October 23 incident

The progression from displaying chemical weapons (MacArthur Park) to actually deploying them in violation of court orders (Little Village) demonstrates an escalating pattern of aggressive tactics and willingness to defy legal constraints.

Context: One Month After National Guard Deployment

The MacArthur Park operation occurred exactly one month after the June 7, 2025 Home Depot standoff in Paramount that triggered Trump’s federalization of the California National Guard.

Post-National Guard Deployment: By July 7, Los Angeles had:

• 4,000 federalized National Guard troops on the streets
• 700 active-duty Marines deployed to downtown
• Ongoing federal court challenges to military deployment
• Heightened tensions between federal agents and LA community

Bovino’s MacArthur Park operation occurred in this militarized environment, with National Guard and Marine presence providing backdrop and implicit support for aggressive Border Patrol tactics.

Military Normalization: Bovino’s statement that aggressive enforcement would “be normal very soon” reflected the normalization of military and paramilitary presence in Los Angeles following the National Guard deployment. The military deployment enabled more aggressive Border Patrol operations by providing both tactical support and political cover.

“Anywhere, Anytime” - Challenging Sanctuary Cities

Bovino’s declaration to Fox News—“We will go anywhere, anytime we want in Los Angeles”—represented a direct challenge to sanctuary city policies and local authority.

Federal vs. Local Authority: While legally accurate that federal immigration enforcement operates independent of local policies, Bovino’s framing was deliberately provocative:

• Traditional ICE operations coordinated with local law enforcement when possible
• Enforcement typically avoided sensitive locations (schools, hospitals, churches)
• Operations usually avoided high-profile confrontations with elected officials
• Tactics historically prioritized discreet targeted enforcement over visible shows of force

Bovino’s Approach: In contrast, Bovino’s “anywhere, anytime” philosophy meant:

• Deliberate operations in highly visible, politically sensitive locations
• Public confrontations with elected officials
• Operations during daytime in community spaces
• Use of overwhelming force (mounted officers, helicopters, armored vehicles)
• No accommodation for sanctuary policies or community concerns

This approach prioritized political confrontation and community intimidation over effective law enforcement.

Mounted Officers - Psychological Impact

The use of mounted Border Patrol officers in MacArthur Park—a public park in an urban area—served specific tactical and psychological purposes:

Tactical:

• Height advantage for surveillance and crowd control
• Mobility in park terrain
• Psychological intimidation factor
• Visibility and show of force

Historical Context: The deployment of mounted federal agents in immigrant neighborhoods evokes troubling historical parallels to cavalry being used to control civilian populations. The visual of federal agents on horseback entering a park where children were playing created powerful imagery of government intimidation.

Community Impact: For immigrants, particularly those from countries with histories of military repression, the sight of armed agents on horseback represents a profound psychological threat—exactly the intimidation effect Bovino’s operations were designed to achieve.

Significance and Precedent

The MacArthur Park operation established several concerning precedents:

Children as Witnesses/Targets: Using aggressive enforcement tactics in spaces where children are present, creating trauma and fear in immigrant communities even when no arrests are made.

“Show of Force” Operations: Conducting operations designed primarily for psychological impact and political messaging rather than specific law enforcement objectives.

Open Defiance of Elected Officials: Federal commander publicly refusing to acknowledge concerns of local elected officials, establishing posture of complete federal supremacy.

Normalization of Military Tactics: Treating urban immigration enforcement as military operation requiring horses, armored vehicles, helicopters, and overwhelming force.

Pattern for Chicago: The MacArthur Park operation previewed tactics Bovino would bring to Chicago two months later in Operation Midway Blitz—aggressive public operations, defiance of local authority, tear gas preparations (and eventually use), and military-style tactics in civilian spaces.

Connection to Broader Bovino Timeline

MacArthur Park represents the midpoint in Bovino’s escalating pattern:

June 7, 2025: Home Depot standoff triggers National Guard deployment July 7, 2025: MacArthur Park operation (this event) - tear gas displayed, children flee September 8, 2025: Operation Midway Blitz begins in Chicago October 23, 2025: Little Village tear gas deployed in violation of court order November 6, 2025: Federal judge finds Bovino lied about use of force

Each operation demonstrated increasing willingness to:

• Use aggressive tactics against civilians
• Defy legal and political authority
• Prioritize political messaging over law enforcement objectives
• Create community trauma through shows of force

The progression from MacArthur Park (tear gas displayed but not used) to Little Village (tear gas deployed in violation of court order) shows a commander testing boundaries and escalating tactics until ultimately confronted with judicial findings of constitutional violations and perjury.