Spencer Pratt, running for Los Angeles mayor, has made clear he opposes federal immigration sweeps but blames Mayor Karen Bass for inviting the chaos. He frames his campaign around restoring order, enforcing the law, and stopping what he calls political grandstanding that puts neighborhoods at risk. Pratt points to a recent example in San Francisco as the model for a tougher, pragmatic approach. The stakes are local safety and whether city leaders will put ego ahead of residents.
When ICE conducted raids in Los Angeles last year, the response was ugly: counterdemonstrations turned violent and the city looked like a battleground. Those incidents pushed federal enforcement to focus on Los Angeles and California because of the state’s longtime refusal to cooperate with federal detainer requests. Pratt uses that history to say the lawlessness is a product of leadership, not the agency itself.
Pratt says his entry into the race grew from being ignored by City Hall and watching his Pacific Palisades community get sidelined. He has not softened his language, grabbing attention with a social media post that read, “I don’t want ICE in LA, nobody wants ICE in L.A. — except Karen ‘Basura’ apparently,” a line he repeats to underline his complaint with the mayor. That jab signals a willingness to call out what he sees as political theater rather than pragmatic governance.
He argues the way to keep federal agents out of the city is simple: follow the law and cooperate where required. “Because the way you keep ICE out of L.A. is by enforcing the law, not defying it,” Pratt said, framing cooperation and enforcement as the path to predictable, less disruptive outcomes. That stance aligns with a straightforward Republican view that public safety is nonnegotiable and must be prioritized over political signals.
Pratt contrasts Los Angeles with San Francisco, where Mayor Daniel Lurie apparently cut a deal with the White House to reduce tensions. “Look at what Mayor Lurie did in San Francisco, [he’s] clearly no friend of the Trump administration, but he called the president and made a deal. He vowed to have SFPD crack down on crime, and the president vowed to keep ICE out of the city,” Pratt said, using the example to argue for practical negotiation over posturing. The point for Pratt is that strong local enforcement paired with clear agreements keeps the peace.
He highlights the result: calmer streets and no viral scenes of chaos. “Notice what you don’t see — No riots. No crazy videos of ICE agents having chaotic arrests. That’s how it’s done.” Pratt points to reported federal movements around a Bay Area installation and presidential outreach as evidence that common-sense deals can defuse flashpoints. To him, resolving these disputes requires leaders who will pick up the phone and protect their cities without turning every issue into a headline.
Pratt insists this is not about party labels but about competence and priorities. “It’s not a Democrat or Republican thing…” he said, and then drilled down: “So what’s the common denominator? It’s activist mayors using their city, their residents, their businesses as fodder for their political grandstanding, and people suffer as a result.” That line is meant to cut through partisan smoke and frame the debate around effective city management and personal responsibility.
Returning to his sharp critique of the mayor, Pratt again used the nickname “Karen Basura,” and accused her of ensuring future federal interventions. He was blunt about how he would handle the issue: “Adults put their egos aside,” he said. “That’s exactly how I will end the ICE raids in L.A. Our city is not a political playhouse; it’s our home.” Those lines make clear his campaign pitch: restore order, stop the stunts, and run Los Angeles like a city, not a soapbox.
