One tactic that Democrats have pursued since the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration began is to implement directives, issue executive orders, and even pass state-level legislation aimed at obstructing immigration enforcement agents in their efforts to do their jobs.
Back in February, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) signed Executive Directive 17 (ED-17), which was designed to accomplish that. Among other things, the directive mandated “that City property is not [to be] utilized by federal immigration agents for staging areas, processing locations, or bases of operation.” It also required the city spend money it doesn’t have on signs to be posted that read “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.”
And the order called for “physical barriers such as locked gates and doors [to be] used to limit access to City-owned or controlled parking lots, vacant lots, or garages, and non-public portions of City facilities.”
Accoring to reports, the signs began cropping up around the city last week, which Fox 11 LA estimates will cost Los Angeles taxpayers $250,000, at least:
More than 450 signs have been installed at parks, libraries, parking lots and transit hubs, including MacArthur Park, Lafayette Park and the Los Angeles Zoo. The signs state that city property is not to be used for immigration enforcement activities, including as staging areas, processing sites or operational bases.
“I will not stand by while federal agents use our neighborhoods as staging grounds for fear and intimidation,” Bass said in a statement to FOX 11. “In Los Angeles, we are setting clear boundaries: city property will not be used to carry out these raids.”
There are now 500 of these signs being posted around LA by City Hall https://t.co/gJlGquBRfj
— Shelby Grad (@shelbygrad) May 4, 2026
It comes in mens and womens and lets your friends know you're happy to express your views and don't care what anyone thinks! Cheers!
It’s cute that local and state officials actually believe that they have the power to stop federal agents from doing their jobs. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli reminded Bass and all other Democrats that their little stunts cost taxpayers money and may make them look good to lunatic Democrat voters, but things like the little signs “have no legal weight” at all:
“I just think this whole thing is silly. The signs have no legal weight, force or effect on anything the federal government does,” said Bill Essayli. “Federal agents will go anywhere they need to go to enforce federal law, including city property.”
When asked directly whether the signs would stop federal immigration enforcement, Essayli responded, “No. Not at all. They’re null and void. They mean nothing to us.”
NEW: LA has installed 450+ “anti-ICE” signs across parks, libraries & transit hubs declaring public property off-limits for federal immigration enforcement under @MayorOfLA Karen Bass’ directive.
@USAttyEssayli calls them “null and void,” saying agents will enforce the law… pic.twitter.com/BMfjxbwWth
— Matthew Seedorff (@MattSeedorff) May 5, 2026
Last summer, Bass showed up to MacArthur Park after ICE and Border Patrol agents arrived in force for a major immigration enforcement action, telling them to “get out” (they did but only after their operations were completed).
Democrats will do anything to protect illegal immigrants because they derive a lot of their power from having tens of millions of them in the country, including making it ‘illegal’ for immigration enforcement to happen in their little jurisdictions. Of course, any serious attempt to impede federal agents won’t turn out well for the Democrats who try it.
