\u201cToday, Dec. 6, 2025, Long Beach Transit was made aware of an ICE hiring advertisement on our buses. The advertisement was immediately removed. LBT sincerely apologizes for the oversight,\u201d the statement said. \u201cWe work with advertising partners for interior and exterior advertisements. This was purchased as a government hiring advertisement.\u201d<\/p>\n
LBT\u2019s statement also said the agency \u201cacknowledges the uncertainty and fear this may have caused.\u201d<\/p>\n
That response, though, drew ire from some social media users, including stopice.net<\/a>\u00a0 \u2014 a nationwide mobile alert system meant to inform people about federal immigration operations created by Long Beach resident Sherman Austin<\/a> \u2014 which commented underneath the agency\u2019s statement to Instagram arguing that the ICE advertisement \u201cshould never have happened to begin with.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe community expects you to prioritize responsible vetting with your \u2018advertising partners\u2019 especially in a time like this when (the U.S. Department of Homeland Security) is plastering these ridiculous ads everywhere and terrorizing our communities,\u201d stopice.net wrote. \u201cThe (Long Beach) Values Act represents a commitment to protect migrant communities, and we hope the city will take this more seriously moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t the first time Long Beach Transit has come under fire for its policies surrounding ICE activity.<\/p>\n Long Beach Transit issued a statement addressing a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement recruitment ad seen on one of their buses on Saturday, Dec. 6. (Photo courtesy LBT Instagram).\n<\/p>\n Show Caption<\/p>\n 1 of 1<\/p>\n Long Beach Transit issued a statement addressing a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement recruitment ad seen on one of their buses on Saturday, Dec. 6. (Photo courtesy LBT Instagram).\n<\/p>\n Expand<\/a><\/p>\n In June, an internal memo from the agency\u2019s CEO and president, Kenneth McDonald, instructed\u00a0LBT employees not to interfere with federal immigration agents should they attempt to enter the agency\u2019s worksites or restricted areas. That memo leaked online<\/a> \u2014 drawing major concerns from residents and community organizations throughout the city.<\/p>\n Shortly after the controversy, Mayor Rex Richardson urged Long Beach Transit to update its policies for employees to better align with the city\u2019s Values Act.<\/p>\n That act, which was originally approved in 2018 and was strengthened by the City Council earlier this year, essentially says that Long Beach does not and will not use city resources to enforce federal immigration law, \u201cbut remains fully compliant with all applicable federal laws and does not interfere with lawful federal enforcement activities,\u201d according to the city\u2019s website.<\/p>\n![\"Long](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/LPT-L-ICE-TRANSIT-1210-01-1.jpg\"\/)
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