L.A. Mayor Karen Bass has been caught promoting a hoax, claiming that law enforcement took a woman from her car and held her in a warehouse without due process.
She’s a mother from L.A. — taken out of her car on her way to work, and then held in a warehouse as officers hoped she would “self-deport.”
No hearing. Just fear.
This doesn’t make anyone safer. https://t.co/gwkq017y4l
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) July 1, 2025
The truth is, the woman at the center of the story made it all up. She faked her own kidnapping and then tried to fundraise off the hoax.
The Gateway Pundit reported,
On Thursday, the Justice Department announced charges against Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon, 41, a Mexican illegal living in Los Angeles, for faking an ICE “kidnapping” to garner sympathy and solicit donations.
In June, Calderon’s family and friends, alongside anti-ICE activists, held a rally for the “mom of three,” claiming she had been “abducted” by bounty hunters, and then ‘pressured’ to sign the voluntary self-deportation paperwork.
Following the family’s press conference, a fundraising page was set up to “help” Calderon.
Now, Calderon has been charged with conspiracy and making false statements to federal officers and is in U.S. immigration custody.
United States Attorney Bill Essayli stated, “Dangerous rhetoric that ICE agents are ‘kidnapping’ illegal immigrants is being recklessly peddled by politicians and echoed in the media to inflame the public and discredit our courageous federal agents.”
“The conduct alleged in today’s complaint shows this hoax ‘kidnapping’ was a well-orchestrated conspiracy. The defendant and all those involved will face the full consequences of their conduct under federal law. I thank our partners at Homeland Security Investigations and all federal agents facing unprecedented levels of assaults for once again providing cool heads and professionalism during these difficult times.”
Despite the hoax being uncovered, Mayor Bass has not yet deleted her post.
