Transcription: The mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, in

The following is the transcription of an interview with the mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, which was issued in “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on July 20, 2025.

Margaret Brennan: We now go to the mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass. Good morning, old lady.

Mayor of Los Angeles Karen Bass: Good morning, good morning.

Margaret Brennan: I’m glad you can listen to me. We are looking for immigration problems six months later. You have had such an experience in Los Angeles, given the deployment of US troops. The president ordered the early release of almost half of the Los Angeles National Guard. Have they left? What are the remaining?

Mayor Bass: Well, I think they have gone, but they were never necessary in the first place, and the remaining ones are doing what they were doing all the time, which is essentially protecting two federal buildings, one of which in Westwood, where there has never been a great protest against immigration raids. This is an incredible misuse, not only the money of the taxpayers, but of the young people who are in the National Guard, who have had to leave their families, their work and their education for this deployment that is completely unnecessary. 4,000 troops, my understanding, is that most of its time has been dedicated to complete boredom, playing video games and essentially waiting. Because again, 4,000 deployed and around 200 really used.

Margaret Brennan: The White House, of course, argues that they deployed them because there was interference with police operations in the realization of some of the summaries. There are still ice application actions that take place. You have talked about your objections, since you described them “masked men, unmarked cars, drawing weapons, snatching people from the street.” You submitted a request for freedom of information to cite: “Know who these masked men are.” Why, however, your identity is important for you? Do you plan to process them?

Major Bass: Well, no, let me explain, because you have people who literally walk down the street, sitting in bus stops, they are individual vendors who sell fruit on the street. These masked men stop in unmarked cars and jump from cars with rifles and stop people. Then, for the average citizen, it seems that it is a violent kidnapping. So you should never have that. They do not identify themselves. And in addition, for their previous guest, how the hell they know they are a threat when they only chase people randomly through parking in the deposits at home, going to car washes and rounded people. It is difficult to wash their car in Los Angeles now, because most cars, employees will not come to work for fear of a raid.

Margaret Brennan: Well, the interim director says that his agents, some of them fear that their families are reprisals, and therefore cover their faces, that they use brands for the agencies with which they work. How do you answer?

Mayor Bass: Well, well, first of all, let me tell you that masked men are not from Los Angeles, and therefore, how their families could be reprisals. And then, what is that to say to the application of the local law, the Los Angeles Police Department, none of which is masked that is always identified and even deliver someone a presentation card? That makes absolutely no sense at all. And I don’t know, but I find it hard to believe that the woman who sells pineapples in the corner will attack an ice agent. And then, when he says that there is identification, the problem is that many of these men are in simple clothes with vests that say ‘the police’, it seems something they could have connected online. I think it is really important to point out the extreme nature of randomness. And you know, Homan has said, he has mentioned a series of criteria for why they stop people. One of the criteria points is physical appearance. Los Angeles is 3.8 million people, and about 50% of our population is Latin, so I guess that means that 50% of angels could be possible suspicious in an immigration raid.

Margaret Brennan: Well, Tom Homan has said that homan has said that physical description cannot be the only factor of reasonable suspicion, but things like location, occupation, physical appearance are added, particularly if a person escapes, or if there is a tattoo or something like that. You don’t think you believe that.

Major Bass: Location, sitting in A- well, location, sitting on a bus stop, walking down the street, selling fruit? No, I dispose of it, absolutely. And you know, again, the National Guard should never have deployed first. We do not ask. This is the federal seizure of power of a governor who deployed the National Guard when the National Guard was not even necessary. We had protests at the end of, at the end of the peaceful protest, there was absolutely some violence and some looting and vandalism, we carry it completely under control. The troops have never been involved in the control of crowds, never involved in the protest. They have been watching a building. Our Police Department and the department of our Sheriff are the ones who took the protests, when it became violence, under control. We never need the National Guard in the first place. This is a political trick, a terrible misuse of taxpayers dollars.

Margaret Brennan: there are more than we could talk about here, but I want to ask about fires, because now we are officially in the fire season. Only six months ago we saw those fires in Los Angeles, you triggered the then Chief of Firefighters for you, said that a lack of preparation. But you still don’t have a permanent fire chief in that role. Isn’t that a problem? Are you prepared?

Greater Bass: No, no, I don’t think it’s a problem at all. Our interim firefighters has 40 years of experience. In fact, he had recently retired. I called it, by retirement, during the fires. I was doing the emergency operation center. Then he entered, he did not lose a rhythm when he took over the fire department. And we are prepared. We know it is the fire season.

Margaret Brennan: So is your plan to keep it in place since you got it out of retirement?

Mayor Basco: -No–

Margaret Brennan:-Caning it interim?

Mayor Bass: Sorry, no, we are doing a national search, and is certainly open to apply. But the second largest city in the nation needs to make sure we look for the best talent in the nation. And I am sure there will be people in the department that apply, but we want to launch the network. We did the same type of search for our police chief:

Margaret Brennan: -well Okay–

Greater Bass: Meanwhile, he is more than capable of handling well.

Margaret Brennan: Well, I wish the best to the city. We will be watching while moving in the fire season. Thank you–

Major Bass: -Of course.

Margaret Brennan: -We will see.

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