Transcript: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on “Face the Country with Margaret Brennan,” July 20, 2025 via NewsFlicks

The next is the transcript of an interview with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass that aired on “Face the Country with Margaret Brennan” on July 20, 2025.

MARGARET BRENNAN:  We flip now to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Excellent morning, Madam Mayor.

LOS ANGELES MAYOR KAREN BASS:  Excellent morning, just right morning. 

MARGARET BRENNAN: Happy you’ll listen me. We’re having a look at immigration problems six months in. You’ve gotten had this sort of firsthand revel in out in LA, given the deployment of U.S. troops. The President ordered the early unencumber of just about part of the Nationwide Guard from LA. Have they departed but? What are the rest ones doing?

MAYOR BASS:  Smartly, I consider they have got departed, however they have been by no means wanted within the first position, and the rest ones are doing what they have been doing all alongside, which is basically protective two federal constructions, one in all which in Westwood, the place there by no means has been a large protest towards the immigration raids. That is simply such an improbable misuse of, now not best taxpayers cash, however of the younger people who find themselves within the Nationwide Guard, who’ve needed to go away their households, their jobs and their training for this deployment this is utterly useless. 4,000 troops, my working out, is, maximum in their time has been spent in whole boredom, enjoying video video games and necessarily ready round. As a result of once more, 4,000 deployed, and about 200 in reality used.

MARGARET BRENNAN:  The White Area, after all, argues they deployed them as a result of there was once interference with the operations of legislation enforcement in sporting out one of the crucial roundups. There are nonetheless enforcement movements via ICE going down. You’ve gotten mentioned your objections, as you described them to “masked males, unmarked automobiles, drawing weapons, snatching folks off the road.” You filed a Freedom of Knowledge request to cite, “know who those masked males are.” Why, even though, is their identification essential to you? Do you intend to prosecute them?

MAYOR BASS:  Smartly, no, let me simply give an explanation for, as a result of you could have people who find themselves actually strolling down the road, sitting at bus stops, are particular person distributors promoting fruit in the street. Those masked males pull up in unmarked automobiles and leap out of the automobiles with rifles and detain folks. So for the common citizen, it seems love it’s a violent kidnapping. So that you must by no means have that. They do not determine themselves. And moreover, for your earlier visitor, how the heck do they know that they are a risk when they are simply chasing random folks thru parking a lot at House Depots, going to automobile washes and rounding up folks. It is tricky to get your automobile washed in Los Angeles now, as a result of lots of the automobile washes, the workers would possibly not come to determine of concern {that a} raid will happen. 

MARGARET BRENNAN: Smartly, the performing director says that his brokers, a few of them concern that their households will probably be retaliated towards, and that is the reason why they’re masking their faces, that they do put on markings for the companies that they paintings with. How do you reply?

MAYOR BASS:  Smartly, smartly, to begin with, let me simply let you know that the masked males aren’t from Los Angeles, and so how their households may well be retaliated towards. After which what’s that to mention to native legislation enforcement, the Los Angeles Police Division, none of whom are ever masked who all the time determine themselves or even hand any person a industry card. In order that makes completely no sense in any respect. And I do not know, however I’ve a troublesome time believing that the lady promoting pineapples at the nook goes to assault an ICE agent. After which when he says that there is id, the issue is many of those males are in simple garments with vests on that say ‘police,’ it looks as if one thing that they may have got on-line. I feel it is truly essential to show the intense nature of the randomness. And , Homan has mentioned, he is discussed numerous standards for why they forestall folks. Some of the issues of standards is bodily look. Los Angeles is 3.8 million folks, and about 50% of our inhabitants is Latino, so I assume that suggests 50% of Los Angeles may well be conceivable suspects in an immigration raid. 

MARGARET BRENNAN: Smartly, Tom Homan has- Tom Homan has mentioned bodily description can’t be the only issue for cheap suspicion, however such things as location, career, bodily look upload up, in particular if an individual runs away, or if there is a tattoo or one thing. You do not appear to consider that. 

MAYOR BASS: Location, sitting at a- smartly, location, sitting at a bus forestall, strolling down the road, promoting fruit? No, I do dispute that, completely. And , once more, the Nationwide Guard must have by no means been deployed within the first position. We didn’t ask for them. That is the federal seizure of energy from a governor deploying the Nationwide Guard when the Nationwide Guard weren’t even wanted. We had protests on the finish of the- on the finish of the non violent protest, there completely was once some violence and a few looting and vandalism, we introduced that totally underneath keep an eye on. The troops have by no means been curious about crowd keep an eye on, by no means concerned within the protest. They have got been guarding a construction. Our police division and our sheriff’s division are those that introduced the protests, when it devolved into violence, underneath keep an eye on. We by no means wanted the Nationwide Guard within the first position. This can be a political stunt, a horrible misuse of taxpayers’ bucks. 

MARGARET BRENNAN: There may be extra shall we discuss right here however I wish to ask you about fires, as a result of we at the moment are formally in hearth season. It was once simply six months in the past we noticed the ones blazes in LA, you fired the then hearth leader for you mentioned a failure to organize. However you continue to would not have an everlasting hearth leader in that position. Is not that an issue? Are you ready?

MAYOR BASS:  No, no, I do not believe that that is an issue in any respect. Our period in-between hearth leader has 40 years of revel in. In truth, he had only recently retired. I referred to as him in, out of retirement, throughout the fires. He was once doing the emergency operation middle. So he stepped in, did not omit a beat via taking up the hearth division. And we’re ready. We do know that it is hearth season.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So is your plan to stay him in position because you introduced him out of retirement?–

MAYOR BASS: –No–

MARGARET BRENNAN:–put him in an period in-between foundation?

MAYOR BASS:  I am sorry, no, we are doing a countrywide seek, and he’s unquestionably open to use. However the country’s second-largest town must make certain that we seek the country for the most efficient ability. And I am certain that there will probably be folks within the division that follow, however we wish to forged the online large. We did the similar form of seek for our police chief–

MARGARET BRENNAN: –Smartly okay–

MAYOR BASS:–in the period in-between he’s greater than in a position to managing smartly. 

MARGARET BRENNAN: Smartly, want the town smartly. We can be staring at as you progress thru hearth season. Thanks–

MAYOR BASS:–Positive. 

MARGARET BRENNAN: –We’re going to be proper again.