Caught in the crosshairs right now is vice-mayor Cynthia Gonzalez of Cudahy, California. She purportedly called upon local street gangs to form unions against the increasing pace of immigration raids by federal agents. Cudahy, a working-class suburb at the edge of Los Angeles’ sprawl approximately 10 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, is home to roughly 22,000 residents. Gonzalez made her controversial remarks in a now-deleted video posted on social media, where she questioned the silence of gang members during the ongoing immigration sweeps.
As you can see in the video, Gonzalez said she had hoped to track the location of known gang members around Los Angeles. In particular, she called out two of the most infamous gangs, “18th Street” and “Florence,” and appealed to gang leaders to get their members organized. “We’re out there fighting our turf, protecting our turf, protecting our people and, like, where you at?” she remarked, implying that gang members should take action against what she described as an invasion of their community by federal agents.
Now, more than ever, Gonzalez’s comments ring true. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agencies have ramped up their enforcement of immigrants’ lives. This has led to considerable outcry from all sides, especially given what her comments could mean in practice. In a written statement, the city of Cudahy confirmed that they know of the existence of such video. They haven’t provided any information on an official response or disciplinary action taken against Gonzalez.
Gonzalez’s comments have alarmed the public about their safety and undermine the role of local leaders in tackling the core issues of their communities. Critics believe that her statements will encourage violence against police officers and counteract law enforcement’s ability to maintain order. Here’s the Department of Homeland Security’s release on the now-canceled transaction. They expressed alarm that the pervasive use of such inflammatory rhetoric would incite assaults on federal law enforcement officers.
“This kind of garbage has led to a more than 500% increase in assaults against our U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement law enforcement officers,” the statement read. “Secretary Noem has been clear: If you assault a federal officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The ramifications from Gonzalez’s video are ongoing as residents take to calling and emailing Gonzalez to show their outrage with her tactics. It’s easy to sit outside of a raid and wonder why gang members aren’t denouncing the immigration raids. Rather, they are being asked to follow suit and start planning a multifaceted response. Gonzalez’s comments have reignited an important discussion around the tenuous balance between federal immigration policy and local community safety.