Hours after being called out by community members, Long Beach Transit apologized for running an Immigration and Customs Enforcement recruitment ad inside its buses.

On Saturday afternoon, high-profile Instagram account Stop ICE (@stopicenet), which tracks and highlights ICE activities in Long Beach and throughout the region, posted an image of the advertisement, which showed a federal agent with the slogan “defend the homeland, join ICE today.”

“Do you want a bus boycott? Because this is how you get a bus boycott,” the account wrote. “Turn these ads off.”

About five hours later, LBT posted a statement on social media apologizing for the ad, stating it was immediately removed after the agency was “made aware” that it was displayed in its buses.

“We work with advertising partners for interior and exterior advertisements. This was purchased as a government hiring advertisement,” LBT explained. “We acknowledge the uncertainty and fear this may have caused. LBT understands that it can be very traumatic to our customers and community, and do not take this incident lightly.”

“This is not a reflection of our values and we will update our advertising policies to ensure this never happens again,” the agency continued.

While some commenters thanked the agency for the quick response and swift action, many were not satisfied with the apology, saying the ad never should have made it to buses in the first place.

“The community expects you to prioritize responsible vetting with your ‘advertising partners,’ especially in a time like this when [the Department of Homeland Security] is plastering these ridiculous ads everywhere and terrorizing our communities,” Stop ICE wrote under the apology.

The incident comes after months of federal immigration enforcement activity in Long Beach and throughout the Southland. In Long Beach alone, dozens of people have been swept up in raids by masked men in unmarked vehicles.

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Long Beach Transit apologizes for ICE recruitment ad