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Los Angeles County GOP chair Roxanne Hoge ripped the county’s Democratic leaders for having “no shame” and declaring a state of emergency over federal immigration enforcement operations, which she called a “slap in the face” to Americans.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 on Tuesday to declare a local state of emergency in the region. The declaration, which the board stated was in response to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, provides residents with rent relief and legal aid if they have been affected by the raids.
County departments were also ordered to “take necessary emergency actions to protect and stabilize communities impacted by federal immigration actions.”
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Hoge said that “living in California, especially living in Los Angeles, is like playing a constant game of whack-a-mole” with outlandish policies and declarations.
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A demonstrator waves an American and Mexican flag during a protest in Compton, Calif., Saturday, June 7, 2025, after federal immigration authorities conducted operations. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
She said the progressive-dominated L.A. County Board of Supervisors “have no shame in how far they will go” to upend citizens’ lives and prioritize illegals over citizens.
“They keep coming up with more and different ways to spend taxpayer money and to not give us the services that a local government should give you, you know, public safety, freedom from crime, clean streets. None of those are available in Los Angeles,” said Hoge.
“You would think that the emergency is having an entire community burned down and not having water in the hydrants. You would think a state of emergency is due to criminal cartels taking over our streets, but no.”
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Demonstrators gather outside Dodger Stadium to protest the presence of ICE and Border Patrol agents in Los Angeles. (Zin Chiang/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Addressing the county board directly, Hoge said, “I would say to the ladies who run the most powerful county board of supervisors in the country, that it would be really nice if they would pay attention to the needs of Californians living in Los Angeles for just a moment.”
“To turn around and give money to people who, by the way, don’t have to prove that they’re here legally or illegally or even that they are going to use the money for rent is a complete slap in the face to every hardworking person who makes Los Angeles their home,” she went on, adding, “Do your jobs, ladies. Please protect the Americans living in Los Angeles.”
The proclamation notice, dated Oct. 9, said that it will remain in effect until terminated by the board of supervisors.
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Protesters gather at the U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons after federal immigration authorities conducted an operation on Friday, June 6, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Jae C. Hong/AP Photo)
County officials claimed the raids have “created a climate of fear, leading to widespread disruption in daily life and adverse impacts to our regional economy,” including decreased workplace attendance, temporary or permanent business closures, and increased strain on schools, hospitals, and places of worship.
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In response to a Fox News Digital request for comment, a spokesperson for the L.A. County Board of Supervisors clarified that the declaration “currently provides no funding.”
A spokesperson for board Chair Kathryn Barger, who issued the sole vote against the declaration, shared a statement with Fox News Digital in which she said that “declaring a local emergency is not the right or responsible way to respond” to the federal immigration enforcement operations.
“I want to be clear: my opposition to this motion is about good governance, not immigration status,” Barger said. “Emergency powers exist for crises that pose life and death consequences like wildfires—not as a shortcut for complex policy issues. Stretching emergency powers for federal immigration actions undermines their purpose, invites legal challenges, and circumvents the public process.”
Barger added that “families across Los Angeles County are afraid, and that fear is real,” but said, “We need real solutions, not symbolic gestures”
Fox News Digital’s Emma Bussey contributed to this report
