The FBI is allegedly investigating a Los Angeles County official after she posted a video on social media urging gang members to defend their territory from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Cynthia Gonzalez, the vice mayor of Cudahy in southeast Los Angeles County, allegedly posted a video on social media late last week in which she appeared to encourage 18th Street and Florencia 13 gang members to defend their turf against ICE agents.
“Not for nothing, but I want to know where all the cholos are in Los Angeles,” Gonzalez stated in the video. “18th Street in Florencia — Where is the leadership? Because you’re all about territory. You guys tag everything up, claiming hood. And now that your neighborhood has been invaded by the biggest gang around, you haven’t said anything.”
The Cudahy official then appears to tell LA gang members that they should organize and assist with local resistance efforts against ICE.
“Don’t try to claim no block, no nothing,” Gonzalez warned. “If you’re not showing up right now, trying to help out and organize, I don’t want to hear a peep out of you once they’re gone.”
At the end of the video, the LA County official appears to urge the leaders of the LA street gangs to “get your f***ing members in order.”
Gonzalez reportedly removed the video shortly after posting it. She was later visited by FBI agents at her home and is now reportedly under federal investigation, according to federal sources.
Following the incident, Gonzalez reportedly returned to social media to claim that the FBI had visited her home and that she needed a lawyer, according to sources.
The FBI Los Angeles told Fox News that they could neither confirm nor deny that an investigation was underway, but they condemned any call for gang violence.
In an X post on Tuesday night, the US Department of Homeland Security called Gonzalez’s comments “despicable.”
“She calls for criminal gangs — including the vicious 18th Street gang — to commit violence against our brave ICE law enforcement,” the US Department of Homeland Security stated. “This kind of garbage has resulted in a more than 500% increase in assaults on our ICE law enforcement officers. Secretary Noem has made it clear: “If you assault a federal officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
The City of Cudahy also issued a statement on Tuesday, stating that Gonzalez’s social media comments reflect her personal views and “do not represent the views or official position of the City of Cudahy.”