A historic community reception and discussion meeting was held in a festive atmosphere at Orchid Kitchen, located in the Little Bangladesh area of Los Angeles, where members of the Bangladeshi diaspora met with current Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
The event, organized jointly by Little Bangladesh Community of Los Angeles and the mayor’s office last week, featured an open discussion and tea gathering between the mayor and community members. Special guest at the event was Lamia Haque, the elected Bangladeshi councilwoman of Buena Park.
Professionals and community leaders from various cities across Southern California participated enthusiastically, turning the gathering into a major community event. Organizers noted that this was the first time a sitting mayor of Los Angeles personally visited the Little Bangladesh neighborhood to engage directly with the Bangladeshi immigrant community.
At the beginning of her remarks, Mayor Karen Bass strongly criticized what she described as harassment and aggressive actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) against immigrants. She stated that her direct intervention had pressured authorities to halt such operations in Los Angeles.
During the discussion session, Bangladeshi representatives raised a range of community concerns and sought solutions from the mayor. Topics included immigration challenges, the establishment of a permanent community center for Bangladeshi immigrants, hate crime prevention, and demands for official school holidays during the two Eid festivals.
Mayor Karen Bass reaffirmed her campaign commitments ahead of the upcoming election, saying she remains dedicated to ensuring the safety of people of all religions and ethnic backgrounds in Los Angeles. She also emphasized her continued support for protecting undocumented immigrants.
The event was coordinated by Sabah Nabiha, founder of “Youth for Bass” and coordinator at the mayor’s office. Community leaders including Maminul Haque Bacchu, Safiul Alam Babu, and Shamim Hossain also played important roles in organizing the event.
At the beginning of the program, Maminul Haque Bacchu welcomed the mayor with a bouquet of flowers. The evening concluded with a dinner reception for invited guests.
