California Residents Burst Into Laughter When LAPD Chief Tries to Explain Why He Didn’t Enforce Law on ICE: ‘Deserved. Treat Them Like the Clowns They Are’

Sometimes laughter is the best answer

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell has recently come under scrutiny over the department’s permissive stance on masked ICE agents, who are not supposed to operate with covered faces under local regulations. What the LAPD chief did not expect, however, was that residents of Los Angeles, California, would find the department’s official response hilarious.

In a viral video, it’s possible to see the recent LAPD conference where the event took place. Chief McDonnell starts by discussing the LAPD’s stance on the “No Secret Police Act,” a California law passed in late 2025 that prohibits certain federal and local law enforcement agencies from wearing face masks. According to McDonnell, the ban on masks is still being debated at the federal level, and he argued that it would be “detrimental to public safety” if ICE agents wearing masks were arrested for violating the local law.

As soon as McDonnell said that, the whole room erupted in laughter. The chief started to frown, visibly upset by the reaction. Someone yells in the background: “I thought it was a joke.” As soon as he begins talking again, laughter erupts once more, making the chief even more uncomfortable. He tries to argue that ICE is doing its job on the streets, but someone at the conference can be heard saying that “I don’t feel safe with ICE agents at large.” After a while, he simply remains silent while people keep laughing before the conference continues.

People Online React to the LAPD Chief’s Conference in Los Angeles, California

Folks online mostly defended the laughter as the only possible reaction to the LAPD chief’s answer about masked ICE agents. According to multiple commenters on social media, “these people thrive on our hatred,” so ridicule can be a very effective response. One viewer commented that McDonnell “got sad really fast” at the reaction, which prompted others to state that it was “Deserved. Treat them like the clowns they are.”

Others pointed out that the chief’s reasoning made no sense at all, as ICE has heavily armed agents, and enforcing an actual law against them would in no way provoke any danger to society.

The discussions regarding the “No Secret Police Act” continue, as the California law is being discussed at the federal level. In the meantime, however, it doesn’t seem that the LAPD is willing to prosecute masked agents operating in Los Angeles.