Mayor Karen Bass brought together over 30 mayors and other city officials from across the Los Angeles metro in a press conference Wednesday to condemn the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in the area.

The area has seen ICE raids targeting illegal immigrants over the past week, leading to violent protests, with President Donald Trump deploying the National Guard and Marines to quell the unrest.

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Bass said the raids are the “cause of the problems” across the area and that the problems have been “provoked by the White House,” adding that she and the other mayors present were calling for the raids to end.

“Maybe we are part of a national experiment to determine how far the federal government can go in reaching in and taking over power from a governor, power from a local jurisdiction, and, frankly, leaving our city and our citizens, our residents, in fear,” Bass said.

Mayor Peggy Lemons of Paramount, California, announced during the press conference that her city has created a special fund to assist families affected by the ICE raids.

Lemons also slammed Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to California, calling it an “unnecessary escalation” before announcing the fund. She said her city created “a special fund that will financially help our immigrant families affected during this challenging time” but did not specify how much financial support will go to families.

“It doesn’t stop there,” Lemons said during the press conference. “The city council and staff are working tirelessly to develop other means of support and assistance to support our community. We will also be seeking out our residents who have been directly impacted so that we may hear from them and provide direct support. Paramount is resilient.”

Ventura Mayor Jeannette Sanchez-Palacios called the raids “inhumane” and “an affront to the values we uphold in Ventura.”

Huntington Park Mayor Arturo Flores, a combat veteran, said the “militarization of immigration enforcement has no place in our neighborhoods.”

South Gate Mayor Maria Davila, an immigrant, appeared emotional and struggled for words at one point in her statement. “We understand that,” she said, pausing to look up, “we have to uphold the law, but at the same time, we have families who are scared, we have residents who are scared.”

Downey Mayor Mario Trujillo said ICE was in his city at the local Home Depot and LA Fitness and arrested an elderly man dropping off his granddaughter for Catholic school.

“We would submit to you that these raids at Home Deports, restaurants, places of worship, or schools are not keeping our communities safe,” he said. “They are creating havoc and fear. This is not the way to provide public safety to the community. We are calling on the administration to change course and do their job correctly.”

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A curfew was enforced in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, calming protests temporarily. Hundreds of people have been arrested in the raids and protests.

The protests continued on Wednesday.