A day after federal officers and National Guard troops descended on MacArthur Park in Los Angeles, immigrant residents of the surrounding neighborhood were coming to grips with the operation that local officials said seemed designed to sow fear.

Community leaders suggested starting a $500,000 emergency relief fund for local businesses that are struggling to staff their stores and restaurants.

Residents were outraged after dozens of federal agents marched through MacArthur Park, in one of the city’s most immigrant-heavy neighborhoods. Homeland Security officials said it was an immigration enforcement operation.