LOS ANGELES — Federal Border Patrol agents staged an entirely unplanned “public safety operation” directly outside Governor Gavin Newsom’s redistricting announcement. The display unfolded at the Japanese American National Museum on August 14, 2025, as the governor outlined California’s plan to redraw congressional maps in response to GOP maneuvers in Texas.
At the precise moment that Newsom, flanked by mayors, labor leaders, and democracy activists, began speaking, dozens of masked, heavily armed agents appeared in trucks and body armor just feet away from the museum doors. One individual—reportedly a strawberry delivery worker—was detained, prompting colleagues to question whether delivering fruit now qualifies as a national security threat.
Inside, Newsom’s campaign staff posted on X:
The Border Patrol’s El Centro sector chief, Gregory Bovino, offered a touching explanation: he and his agents were merely conducting “roving patrols,” because apparently, the governor’s political event triggered an urgent need to make Los Angeles safer—for unknown reasons. “Breaking the law is not coincidental,” Bovino helpfully noted.
Mayor Karen Bass arrived on the scene to deliver her own public safety evaluation, calling the timing “provocative” and “disrespectful.” She confidently asserted that “this was widely publicized” and that agents clearly “decided they were going to thumb their nose in front of the governor’s face.”
Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security’s Tricia McLaughlin responded with soothing reassurance: “Our law enforcement operations are about enforcing the law—not about Gavin Newsom… CBP patrols all areas of Los Angeles every day with over 40 teams on the ground to make LA safe.” Because nothing says “law enforcement” like turning your failing strawberry vendor into a detainee.
Observers noted that the choice of the Japanese American National Museum—the location where Japanese-American families were historically rounded up and sent to internment camps—adds a particularly poignant touch. As attendees pointed out, the symbolism writes itself.
All of this unfolded as Newsom announced the "Election Rigging Response Act"—a plan to override California’s independent redistricting commission via a November 4 special election, in hopes of securing five additional congressional seats for Democrats.
In other words, while California’s leaders warned about a growing national redistricting arms race, federal agents decided to treat the press conference like a top-secret crisis. The upshot: democracy safety, MAGA-style.
