A local politician thought she could play tough with federal agents.
She found out the hard way that wasn’t going to work.
And this LA County politician just opened a can of worms that has the FBI knocking on her door.
Vice Mayor calls on gang members to fight ICE
Cynthia Gonzalez serves as the vice mayor of Cudahy, a small city in Los Angeles County.
But her role as a local elected official didn’t stop her from making one of the most reckless decisions of her political career.
According to Fox News reporter Bill Melugin, Gonzalez posted a video on social media that crossed every line imaginable.
In the now-deleted video, she directly called on members of two of the most dangerous street gangs in California to "protect their turf" from Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Gonzalez specifically targeted the 18th Street Gang and Florencia 13, taunting them about their claims to territory in her city.
"It’s everyone else who’s not about the gang life that’s out there protesting and speaking up," Gonzalez said in her now-deleted video. "We’re out there … protecting our turf and protecting our people. And, like, where you at?"
She went even further, calling ICE "the biggest gang there is" while challenging actual criminal organizations to stand up to federal law enforcement.
The 18th Street Gang operates with between 30,000 and 50,000 members across 28 states, with its California membership consisting of approximately 80% undocumented immigrants from Mexico and Central America.
Florencia 13 functions as a roughly 3,000-member regional chapter of the Mexican Mafia prison gang.
Both organizations are involved in drug trafficking, robbery, and other violent crimes according to the Department of Justice.
FBI opens investigation into vice mayor’s gang recruitment
Gonzalez’s video didn’t just create controversy – it landed her in the crosshairs of federal investigators.
Sources told Melugin that the FBI has opened an active investigation into the vice mayor’s actions.
The timing couldn’t be worse for Gonzalez, as President Donald Trump has made cracking down on criminal gangs and illegal immigration a top priority of his administration.
Trump designated multiple cartels and gangs as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, giving law enforcement enhanced tools to go after these criminal enterprises.
Now a local politician is actively trying to recruit gang members to interfere with federal immigration enforcement.
After posting her inflammatory video, Gonzalez later admitted on social media that the FBI came to her house and that she needs a lawyer.
When contacted by The Post, a spokesperson for the FBI’s Los Angeles field office neither confirmed nor denied the investigation but emphasized that the Bureau condemns all gang violence.
Vice mayor’s background raises more questions
What makes Gonzalez’s actions even more shocking is her background.
According to her official biography, she has lived in Cudahy for 12 years and grew up in LA County.
Her background is in education policy, and she holds two master’s degrees from UCLA.
This isn’t some street activist or fringe political figure – this is an educated elected official who chose to publicly encourage gang members to confront federal agents.
Gonzalez’s office did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment about the FBI investigation.
The vice mayor’s reckless decision highlights how far some Democrat politicians will go to obstruct President Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts.
Rather than working with federal authorities to make their communities safer, officials like Gonzalez are actively trying to make law enforcement’s job more dangerous.
Trump administration cracks down on gang activity
President Trump has taken unprecedented action against criminal gangs since returning to office.
The Trump Administration declared Tren de Aragua, MS-13, the Sinaloa Cartel, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, the United Cartels, the Gulf Cartel, the Northeast Cartel, and the Michoacán Family as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.
This designation gives federal law enforcement enhanced tools to dismantle these criminal enterprises and prosecute anyone who provides them material support.
Gonzalez’s video could potentially fall under laws that prohibit providing aid to criminal organizations.
At minimum, her actions appear designed to interfere with federal immigration enforcement, which could violate multiple federal statutes.
The FBI investigation will determine whether her public statements crossed the line from protected political speech into criminal activity.
What’s clear is that Gonzalez made a catastrophic error in judgment that could end her political career and potentially land her in federal prison.
When you’re an elected official calling on gang members to fight federal agents, you’ve lost all credibility and need to resign immediately.
The people of Cudahy deserve better than a vice mayor who thinks recruiting criminals is an appropriate response to immigration enforcement.
