By Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media
Last week, when Pres. Donald Trump sent federal troops into Los Angeles and escalated ICE raids across Southern California, Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood) didn’t stay silent. As chair of the Los Angeles County Legislative Delegation, she led more than 30 lawmakers in a Capitol press conference denouncing what she called “unconstitutional actions.”
“Mr. President, stop provoking fear and violence in L.A. County,” McKinnor said. “We are not your political punching bag. We are a strong people — we are good people, and we will not be bullied.”
She urged calm, adding, “Remain peaceful. Peace is our power.”
Despite statements like these — and others from Black elected officials across the state — a narrative persists that Black leaders have been quiet. But California’s Black lawmakers are speaking out forcefully, even if media coverage hasn’t kept pace.
Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights), co-chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), has been one of the most vocal critics of ICE operations. “I wasn’t just watching videos on the timeline. I was out in the streets,” Bryan said at a June 10 Capitol press conference organized by the Latino, Black, and Diversity caucuses. “They’re showing up at our elementary schools, and they’re taking children. They’re harassing our community members.”
Bryan, who represents parts of South Los Angeles and Culver City, called out ICE activity at car washes in his district and condemned the use of federal force against protesters. “Los Angeles is the home of Black and Brown solidarity,” he said. “If you attack one vulnerable community in Los Angeles, you have attacked all communities in Los Angeles, and we stand up together.”
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, a member of both the CLBC and the California Latino legislative Caucus (CLLC), warned about the impact on students and families. “One in five of our students in this state has an immigrant parent,” Thurmond said. “Who sends ICE to a community to detain a nine-year-old? Never thought we’d see anything like this in our lifetime.”
Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland), also a member of both caucuses, said families deserve to feel safe — not targeted. “ICE raids and presence in our neighborhoods are threatening our safety in the workplace, schools, and places of worship, breaking apart families and disrupting commerce,” she said. “We will not be silent.”
Assemblymember Sade Elhawary (D-Los Angeles), whose district includes part of downtown Los Angeles, also spoke at the press conference. Like Thurmond and Bonta, she’s a member of both the Black and Latino caucuses.
“When communities are demonized, when the humanity of our fellow human beings is questioned and denied … hope will never be silent,” Elhawary said.
She condemned the unapproved ICE operations near Exposition Park in her district. “No one at the state level approved the recent ICE activity,” she said. “This was not a joint operation. This was abuse of power.”
State Controller Malia M. Cohen echoed that sentiment. “What happened to David Huerta is a disgrace — not just an attack on one man, but an attack on all of us who believe in justice, dignity, and the right to speak truth to power,” she said.
When U.S. Senator Alex Padilla was tackled and removed from a Los Angeles press conference led by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Black leaders raised their voices again. Bryan posted, “Authoritarians and dictators arrest political dissent… this is not America.”
State Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-San Diego), chair of the CLBC, said, “What happened to Sen. Alex Padilla today is unacceptable… Silencing dissent through intimidation and force sets a dangerous precedent that undermines the very fabric of our democratic values.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom has emphasized that California never requested federal troops and has challenged Trump’s deployment order in court. A federal judge sided with California in a preliminary ruling, but the Trump administration appealed. A hearing is scheduled for June 17.
From Inglewood to Oakland, Culver City to San Diego, Black leaders have been unified in denouncing the ICE raids, arrests, and Trump’s military interventions. But their voices haven’t gotten the media attention they deserve, leading some to wrongly assume they aren’t engaged.
And it’s not just elected officials. Black labor organizers, clergy, and community leaders have also condemned the ICE raids and arrests, standing in coalition with immigrant rights groups on the ground.
That lack of visibility is fueling confusion. Some Black Californians have questioned whether this is “our issue.” But what’s happening isn’t only about immigration. It’s about militarizing neighborhoods, tearing families apart, bypassing due process, and weaponizing fear.
There’s a long history of Black and Latino communities in California joining together — from United Farm Workers and Black labor alliances to the ethnic studies student protests in the 1960s and ‘70s, the fight against Prop 187 in the 1990s and the Black Lives Matters marches of the 2000s.
History shows that when civil rights are stripped from one group, others are rarely far behind. Black Californians know these patterns. We’ve lived them. That’s exactly why Black leaders are speaking out.
This is not just a Latino issue. It’s a human rights issue. It’s a civil rights issue. And it’s a California issue.
Let’s not let selective media coverage cloud the truth. Let’s not allow anyone to divide us. And let’s remember protecting each other’s rights is the surest way to protect our own.
Because if they can do this to Los Angeles, they can do it anywhere.
This commentary highlights just a few examples of the actions taken by Black leaders. Many others have also spoken out against the ICE raids, the treatment of Senator Padilla and lawful protesters, and the arrest of SEIU President David Huerta.
About the Author
Joe W. Bowers Jr., a contributing editor at California Black Media, is a graduate of Stanford University.
