Overview

• Cynthia Gonzalez, vice mayor of Cudahy, posted and then deleted a social media video calling on members of the 18th Street and Florencia 13 gangs to defend their neighborhoods from ICE agents.
• Federal sources say the FBI has opened an investigation after agents visited Gonzalez’s home to determine whether her remarks amounted to incitement of violence against federal officers.
• The Department of Homeland Security denounced the video as despicable and highlighted a reported 500 percent increase in assaults on ICE personnel.
• Cudahy city officials issued a statement distancing the municipality from Gonzalez’s comments and emphasizing that they reflected her personal views.
• The incident highlights friction between municipal authorities and federal agencies over immigration enforcement in Southern California.