Long Beach Transit apologizes for ICE recruitment ad
The same day it was called out by community members, the agency announced the ad was removed from its buses.
Hours after being called out by community members, Long Beach Transit apologized for running an Immigration and Customs Enforcement recruitment ad inside its buses.
On Saturday afternoon, high-profile Instagram account Stop ICE (@stopicenet), which tracks and highlights ICE activities in Long Beach and throughout the region, posted an image of the advertisement, which showed a federal agent with the slogan “defend the homeland, join ICE today.”
“Do you want a bus boycott? Because this is how you get a bus boycott,” the account wrote. “Turn these ads off.”
Holly B., a 33-year-old Long Beach resident who asked for her last name to remain anonymous, was the Transit rider who first took note of the ad on Dec. 5 on Route 173.
"My initial reaction was complete disgust," Holly said, adding that she's been riding Long Beach Transit for 13 years. "I am so disappointed in the lack of oversight on these advertisements. Ads like these put fear into my community."
About five hours later, LBT posted a statement on social media apologizing for the ad, stating it was immediately removed after the agency was “made aware” that it was displayed in its buses.
“We work with advertising partners for interior and exterior advertisements. This was purchased as a government hiring advertisement,” LBT explained. “We acknowledge the uncertainty and fear this may have caused. LBT understands that it can be very traumatic to our customers and community, and do not take this incident lightly.”
“This is not a reflection of our values and we will update our advertising policies to ensure this never happens again,” the agency continued.
While some commenters thanked the agency for the quick response and swift action, many were not satisfied with the apology, saying the ad never should have made it to buses in the first place.
“The community expects you to prioritize responsible vetting with your ‘advertising partners,’ especially in a time like this when [the Department of Homeland Security] is plastering these ridiculous ads everywhere and terrorizing our communities,” Stop ICE wrote under the apology.
The incident comes after months of federal immigration enforcement activity in Long Beach and throughout the Southland. In Long Beach alone, dozens of people have been swept up in raids by masked men in unmarked vehicles.
Last month, Mayor Rex Richardson testified during a Congressional hearing before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. During his testimony, Richardson noted that more than 50 people, most without a criminal record, have been taken during federal operations in Long Beach.
The majority of people taken by agents were at work, mostly car wash employees. Critics, including Richardson, note that agents are racially profiling people based on the color of their skin, where they work and/or how they speak.
“What is happening in my city is not immigration enforcement,” Richardson said, asking Congress to reign in the Trump administration. “It is state-sponsored intimidation, targeting families, workers, entire neighborhoods through discriminatory profiling, unconstitutional stops and acts of violence.
“This is not public safety,” Richardson continued. “This is racial profiling, this is abuse of power, it’s trauma funded by federal tax dollars and carried out right here on American soil.”
Editor's note: This story has been updated with comment from Holly B., who first highlighted the ad.
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