Fox News Politics Newsletter: Arrest-ing Developments
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… President Donald Trump suggested he would be willing to arrest California Gov. Gavin Newsom if his administration obstructs ICE operations amid riots in Los Angeles on Monday. Trump made the statement in a brief exchange with reporters after disembarking from Marine One outside the White House. Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked Trump whether he thought Border Czar Tom Homan should take up Newsom on his dare to come arrest him. “He’s daring Tom Homan to come and arrest him. Should he do it?” Doocy asked…READ MORE RIOT CRACKDOWN: Trump huddles with military brass at Camp David amid violent immigration protests in Los Angeles WELCOME, CITIZEN!: Trump to urge newly naturalized US citizens to defend American way of life in video ‘VILLIFICATION’: DHS fires back at Democrats for ‘beyond the pale’ rhetoric as ICE agents face wave of violent threats TUNE CHANGE: Musk does immediate 180 on Trump as soon as LA riots rage WARHEAD WARNING: UN’s nuclear watchdog warns its unable to confirm Iran’s program is ‘entirely peaceful’ DODGING THE DAMAGE: House Dems try to blame Trump for Los Angeles violence despite months of anti-ICE rhetoric POWER GRAB: California to sue Trump over National Guard deployment amid anti-ICE riots ‘I NEED TO GET IN’: Maxine Waters taunts armed agents after feds slam door on her during LA riots: ‘You better shoot straight’ ‘PREVENTABLE’ UNREST: LA immigration riots ‘preventable’ if Sacramento Dems had acted, GOP says: ‘Failed policies caused chaos’ ‘STATE OF REBELLION’: Expert weighs in on Newsom challenge to Trump deploying National Guard ‘DIDN’T COVER’: Border czar Tom Homan says media ignoring of facts about ICE raids fueled LA riots RIOT-RACKED CITY: US Marines to deploy to Los Angeles to help quell anti-immigration riots CREDIBILITY CONCERNS: DNC chair ripped David Hogg over party infighting in leaked meeting audio: ‘Really frustrating’ BENCHED: Boston judge accused of helping illegal alien evade ICE agent, escape courthouse faces hearing Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
FBI will investigate ‘any evidence of a criminal conspiracy’ in LA riots
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Monday that it will look into any organized effort to create chaos in Los Angeles, as anti-ICE riots occurred over the weekend. “We’re investigating anyone who crosses the line from first-amendment protected activity to violence and are prepared to prosecute anyone who assaults a federal officer or causes damage to government property,” Laura Eimiller, media coordinator for the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, told Fox News Digital in an email. “LAPD, as you know, is also making arrests for unlawful assembly. Obviously, any evidence of a criminal conspiracy will be investigated,” she continued. HOUSE DEMS TRY TO BLAME TRUMP FOR LOS ANGELES VIOLENCE DESPITE MONTHS OF ANTI-ICE RHETORIC Dozens have been arrested in Los Angeles as cars have been burned and tensions between rioters and law enforcement tended to escalate later in the day over the weekend, and more unrest could occur on Monday night. President Donald Trump has sent in National Guard troops to reign in the riots, which the state of California is suing over, as Democratic leaders argue it’s only instigating. Andy Ngo of The Post Millennial reported that Antifa and others are likely playing a role in the riots, as Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said that she’ll be introducing legislation to “designated ANTIFA as a terrorist organization.” FBI SEARCHING FOR SUSPECT WHO ALLEGEDLY ASSAULTED FEDERAL OFFICER DURING ANTI-ICE RIOTS IN LOS ANGELES On Monday during a press conference announcing a lawsuit against the Trump administration for deploying the National Guard to Los Angeles, California Attorney General Rob Bonta told Fox News Digital acknowledged that “outside folks” will “sometimes embed themselves or use the protest as cover.” “If you don’t follow the law, we will find you, and we will come for you, and we will hold you accountable,” Bonta said. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE As for non-violent protests, many of the demonstrations stem from left-wing groups, including the Service Employees International Union, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, and the Party for Socialism and Liberation. The SEIU has organized anti-ICE rallies across the country following the arrest of the union’s California president, David Huerta, as he is facing federal charges for allegedly getting in the way of an ICE crackdown. Huerta was released Monday from federal custody. “ICE’s brutal, military-style tactics have no place in our communities. We demand safety. We demand respect. We demand David’s release,” SEIU posted to X on Monday. FEDERAL OFFICIALS SLAM DEMOCRATS FOR ‘DANGEROUS’ RHETORIC AS ICE AGENTS FACE VIOLENT MOBS IN LA, NYC The group had a public plan to pour $200 million to support candidates across the country in 2024, including Vice President Kamala Harris in her presidential bid. CHRILA told the New York Post that they have “not participated, coordinated, or been part of the protests being registered in Los Angeles other than the press conference and rally.” The Post reported that CHIRLA won $450,000 in grants from the Biden-era DHS, but $100,936 of “remaining, unobligated federal funding” for the award given to the group was scrapped by the Trump administration in March, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin posted to X on Sunday. The organization received millions in grants while President Joe Biden was in office, according to the outlet. The Post further reported that the PSL has ties to the Chinese Communist Party because of its backing from tech billionaire Neville Singham. Fox News Digital has reached out to SEIU, the PSL, and CHIRLA for comment.
Mark Green announces retirement from Congress before end of term
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., is departing Capitol Hill early, he announced on Monday. Green said he is leaving Congress for the private sector after the House votes again on President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” in the coming weeks, in a statement first obtained by Fox News Digital. “It is with a heavy heart that I announce my retirement from Congress. Recently, I was offered an opportunity in the private sector that was too exciting to pass up. As a result, today I notified the Speaker and the House of Representatives that I will resign from Congress as soon as the House votes once again on the reconciliation package,” Green said. He called serving Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District “the honor of a lifetime.” “They asked me to deliver on the conservative values and principles we all hold dear, and I did my level best to do so. Along the way, we passed historic tax cuts, worked with President Trump to secure the border, and defended innocent life. I am extremely proud of my work as Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, and want to thank my staff, both in my seventh district office, as well as the professional staff on that committee,” Green said. Green acknowledged in his statement that he had previously geared up to retire in the previous Congress, but reversed course. “Though I planned to retire at the end of the previous Congress, I stayed to ensure that President Trump’s border security measures and priorities make it through Congress,” he said. “By overseeing the border security portion of the reconciliation package, I have done that. After that, I will retire, and there will be a special election to replace me.” Green is an Army veteran who has served in Congress since 2019. As House Homeland Security Committee chairman, he oversaw Republicans’ impeachment of former Biden administration Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. It’s not clear where in the private sector Green will go next, but it’s a safe bet to assume his seat will stay in Republican hands. The district voted for President Donald Trump by more than 20% over former Vice President Kamala Harris last year.
VA chief blasts rioters after LA clinic shuttered amid chaos: ‘Your actions are interfering with vets health’
FIRST ON FOX: Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins announced Monday afternoon that a VA clinic in Los Angeles had to be suddenly shuttered as the City of Angels was ablaze in violence following ICE deportation raids. “To the violent mobs in Los Angeles rioting in support of illegal immigrants and against the rule of law – your actions are interfering with veterans’ health care,” Collins said. The secretary, formerly a Republican congressman from Georgia, said his agency had to make the “difficult decision” to temporarily close the LA Ambulatory Care Center. Collins told Fox News Digital that California leaders “repeatedly put the interests of illegal immigrants and criminals above those of hard-working citizens.” MAXINE WATERS TAUNTS ARMED AGENTS AFTER FEDS SLAM DOOR ON HER DURING LA RIOTS: ‘YOU BETTER SHOOT STRAIGHT’ “[N]ow, Los Angeles veterans are paying the price,” he said. “We are thankful President Donald Trump has the courage to bring order and safety back to the citizens of Los Angeles – something California leaders have failed to do.” Collins assured that the clinic would reopen as soon as it is safe to do so, and that veterans needing care there can reschedule or pursue telehealth options. DOZENS OF PROMINENT VETERANS SIGN ONTO LETTER SUPPORTING ‘OUTSTANDING’ HEGSETH NOMINATION AMID CONTROVERSIES The center is located between Skid Row and Union Station, and is just off the US-101 freeway, which was one of the highways rioters converged on over the weekend. California Highway Patrol officers were stranded in their vehicles at one point on that stretch of road, according to KABC, which reported they were subjected to projectiles being thrown by rioters during the asphalt incursion. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP During a recent television interview, Collins said he remains laser-focused on his agency’s mission. “The president told me to do one thing and that’s take care of our veterans.” Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Gov. Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass for purposes of this story.
Newsom’s political future ‘practically nonexistent’ as LA devolves into riots, social media critics predict
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom‘s floated potential run for the White House in 2028 was likely thwarted by his handling of the anti-ICE riots gripping Los Angeles, conservative social media critics predict. Newsom has been floated as a likely 2028 Democratic contender for the White House as he wraps up his second term as governor in 2026. Riots plaguing the city in response to the Trump administration’s efforts to remove illegal immigrants residing in Los Angeles, which come on the heels of massive wildfires that rocked southern California this winter, have left Newsom on precarious political ground, according to conservatives who are balking at his response to the LA chaos. “Gavin Newsom’s odds of clinching the 2028 presidential race are practically nonexistent,” X user Angela Belcamino posted Monday. “Across the country, Americans are eyeing California’s struggles under his watch, convinced he’d unleash the same chaos nationwide if he ever won the White House.” “Gavin Newsom’s handling of the LA riots should be considered an in-kind contribution to the @JDVance2028 presidential campaign. Newsom is providing a lot of ad material for free,” one social media account posted on Sunday. JONATHAN TURLEY: DEMOCRATS’ RABID ANTI-ICE RESISTANCE IN LA AGAINST TRUMP COULD BACKFIRE “Notice how Newsom has no adverse commentary about the rioters – he saves all his venom for American authorities,” author and retired Army Col. James Hutton posted to X Sunday. “This is why he has no chance to be president one day. Most Americans tend to believe in this country.” Many critics of the riots unfolding in Los Angeles argued that photos of the scene would live in infamy and dash any hopes Newsom may hold on running for president. Some users remarked that the photos depicting rioters surrounded by flames and smoke while waving a Mexican flag “will cost Newsom his 2028 presidential run,” and that the Trump administration “couldn’t have asked for better” representation of California politics captured in photos. “Gavin Newsom is refusing to help stop the riots AND denying their existence because he bows to open borders donors… hoping they’ll fund his 2028 Presidential run. Do not forget this!,” Club for Growth senior analyst Andrew Follett posted to X, accompanied by a photo showing a rioter with a Mexican flag on a motorbike as smoke billowed behind him. CALIFORNIA LT. GOVERNOR SAYS LOS ANGELES RIOTS ARE ‘GENERATED BY DONALD TRUMP’ “Newsom 2028 off to a 🔥 start,” editor-in-chief of the DC Report Matt Foldi posted, accompanied by a similar photo showing a rioter waving what appeared to be the Mexican flag as a fire raged in front of him. “Gavin Newsom 2028,” DC Draino, a popular conservative X account, posted accompanied by a photo of a pair of masked rioters standing on a destroyed car waving the Mexican flag. Newsom is viewed as a potential leader of the Democratic Party as it navigates its future following the disastrous 2024 election cycle that saw President Joe Biden exit the race just over 100 days from Election Day and former Vice President Kamala Harris fail to rally support against now-President Donald Trump. The Democratic governor has not yet said whether he would launch a presidential run in 2028. NY TIMES SAYS ‘REAL EMERGENCY’ IS TRUMP SENDING TROOPS TO LOS ANGELES Riots broke out in the left-wing city Friday evening after federal law enforcement officials converged on Los Angeles to carry out immigration raids as part of Trump’s vow to deport illegal aliens who flooded the nation under the Biden administration. Local leaders such as Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Newsom, however, quickly denounced the raids in public statements while offering words of support for illegal immigrants in the state. Protests over the raids soon devolved into violence as rioters targeted federal law enforcement officials, including launching rocks at officials, as well as videos showing people looting local stores, setting cars on fire and taking over a freeway. Trump announced Saturday that he was deploying 2,000 National Guard members to help quell the violence, bypassing the governor, who typically activates the National Guard and sparking Newsom to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration for efforts to allegedly “federalize the California National Guard.” Trump and Newsom have long sparred, stretching back to the first Trump administration, including when Newsom installed coronavirus restrictions in the state during the pandemic, such as mask and vaccine mandates and social distancing rules, as well as Trump slamming Newsom for California’s spiraling crime rate as a national crime wave spiked in 2020. Trump also frequently refers to the California Democrat as “Newscum” as an ongoing jab at the governor. The pair, however, have most frequently and recently traded barbs over California’s fire response, which came under fierce scrutiny in January when wildfires plagued the Los Angeles area and Trump pinned blame on Newsom. “Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way,” Trump posted to Truth Social as the fires raged just weeks ahead of Trump’s inauguration. NEWSOM’S OFFICE COMPARES LA RIOTS AGAINST FEDERAL AGENTS TO SPORTS CELEBRATIONS “He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt, by giving it less water (it didn’t work!), but didn’t care about the people of California. Now the ultimate price is being paid. I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA! He is the blame for this. On top of it all, no water for fire hydrants, not firefighting planes. A true disaster!” Newsom’s office shot back that “there is no such document as the water restoration declaration – that is pure fiction. The Governor is focused on protecting people, not playing politics, and making sure firefighters have all the resources they need.” Trump has a long history of putting Newsom’s handling of
US Marines to deploy to Los Angeles to help quell anti-ICE riots
A battalion of 500 U.S. Marines are mobilizing to Los Angeles to respond to anti-immigration enforcement riots, Fox News has learned. The Marines will be tasked with protecting federal property and federal personnel, according to a senior defense official, and the deployment is open-ended. The Marines will not be carrying out a law enforcement role, but it’s unclear what their use of force rules are if protesters throw things or spit at them. DOZENS OF ANTI-ICE RIOTERS ARRESTED IN LA AS TRUMP SENDS IN NATIONAL GUARD TO QUELL VIOLENCE The new deployment comes after President Donald Trump sent some 2,000 National Guardsmen to the riot-racked city over the weekend. The Marines are from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines at Twentynine Palms, California. Moments before the deployment, Trump expressed optimism that the situation in Los Angeles is improving. “I mean, I think we have it very well under control,” he told reporters. “I think it would have been a very bad situation. It was heading in the wrong direction. It’s now heading in the right direction.” The Marine mobilization is sure to draw outcry from liberal critics: California Gov. Gavin Newsom filed suit against the Trump administration on Monday for deploying the Guard. The governor’s office both downplayed the troop movement and called it “completely uncalled for.” “From our understanding, this is moving Marines from one base to another base. At this time, the information we have is that Marines are not being deployed (there is a difference between that and being mobilized). The level of escalation is completely unwarranted, uncalled for, and unprecedented — mobilizing the best in class branch of the U.S. military against its own citizens,” Newsom’s press office wrote on X. Newsom and the California attorney general claimed Trump and Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth “trampled over” California’s sovereignty by calling up the state’s National Guard without Newsom’s approval. Meanwhile Trump defended the decision on Monday, and added that if protesters spit in the face of guardsmen in Los Angeles, they’ll “be hit harder than they have ever been hit before.” “IF THEY SPIT, WE WILL HIT,” Trump wrote. “Such disrespect will not be tolerated!” Federal law typically bars the U.S. military from carrying out domestic law enforcement purposes, unless the president invokes the Insurrection Act. Newsom claimed Trump is trying to “manufacture a crisis” and that the president is “hoping for chaos so he can justify more crackdowns, more fear, more control.” The protests began in reaction to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in the City of Angels as the Trump administration moves to make good on its promise of mass deportations. Over the weekend, protests devolved into violence that left vehicles charred to a crisp and windows smashed at the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters.
Maxine Waters torched by feds for ‘taunting’ guardsmen and ‘spewing lies’ about riots, trying to enter jail
A top Homeland Security official lambasted Rep. Maxine Waters for “lies” about the peacefulness of the riots and her efforts to force entry into a detention center to meet a detained union leader. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital on Monday that access to the Los Angeles detention facility was “temporarily restricted” to ensure the safety of both detainees and uniformed personnel – when Waters hurried toward a group of guardsmen entering a plywood-protected door to the building over the weekend. The 86-year-old, 18-term Democrat approached the guardsmen saying, “Hello, hello, hello — I’m Congresswoman Waters,” but the last one bluntly told her to talk to “public affairs” and slammed the door. “As a result, Congresswoman Maxine Waters was denied entry,” McLaughlin said of that exchange. MAXINE WATERS TAUNTS ARMED AGENTS AFTER FEDS SLAM DOOR ON HER DURING LA RIOTS: ‘YOU BETTER SHOOT STRAIGHT’ “The safety and security of DHS personnel, ICE agents, and those in our custody remain our top priority.” Going on to reference when Waters, D-Calif., hollered at assembled armed guardsmen on the street and asked if they planned to shoot her, McLaughlin said the lawmaker’s efforts could be better used elsewhere. “Instead of taunting national guard members, the congresswoman should be trying to defuse these violent riots,” she said. “Elected officials need to tone down their dangerous rhetoric about ICE law enforcement.” President Donald Trump had federalized the California National Guard, and Waters accused him of not properly informing Gov. Gavin Newsom, in one clip of comments to reporters. DHS also rebuked Waters’ summary appearance on TV following clips of her various confrontations going viral: “This morning on CNN, the congresswoman spewed lies that these riots have not been violent,” McLaughlin said. MCCARTHY: MAXINE WATERS FINDS ‘VALUE IN VIOLENCE’ “The American people can see with their own eyes the truth. Rioters have assaulted law enforcement officers, thrown rocks, burned American flags, set cars on fires, slashed tires, defaced buildings, and taxpayer-funded property.” “The violent targeting of law enforcement in Los Angeles by lawless rioters is despicable and Congresswoman Waters must call for it to end.” Waters had told anchor Wolf Blitzer that “everybody was wondering what happened to” David Huerta, the SEIU leader detained during one of the immigration raids that sparked the violence. She said she was wearing a congressional emblem on her jacket but lamented that the guardsmen still didn’t allow her in. She called protests in the immediate area “very small and very peaceful – there was no animosity.” Waters also expressed concern that the assembled guardsmen were armed, saying that “Trump has instigated all of this.” “My message to Donald Trump, you are a cruel human being — and you are using the poorest people in the land… to promote your politics,” Waters said separately. “His ridiculousness has taken over the armed services to celebrate his birthday coming up,” Waters added, referring to the president’s planned military parade to signify the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army – which will also coincide with Flag Day and his 79th birthday. In a statement on the incident, Waters said she went to the Metropolitan Detention Center to check on Huerta – whom the SEIU said was “caught” in one of a series of ICE raids in Los Angeles County the union described as “a violent sweep.” Waters also alluded to another viral clip she produced, which showed her taunting armed agents standing in formation in another part of the city. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I pled [sic] with the National Guard, which was heavily armed, not to use their weapons against peaceful demonstrators who were simply exercising their rights to freedom of speech and protest,” Waters said in a statement posted to X, formerly Twitter. “All people deserve to be treated with dignity and due process under the law: Peaceful, nonviolent demonstrations are critical to protecting our constitutional rights.” “The President of the United States is a cruel, dishonorable human being,” she said, adding that he and others would “just as soon” like to see agents “shoot somebody down.” When filmed confronting National Guardsmen on the street, Waters shouted, “You’re gonna shoot an elected official? If you shoot me, you better shoot straight.” Fox News Digital reached out to Waters’ office for additional comment, but she could not immediately be reached.
Federal funds to Los Angeles, sanctuary cities blocking ICE on chopping block in new House GOP bill
FIRST ON FOX: A new House GOP bill would see sanctuary cities like Los Angeles lose their federal funds if they refuse to comply with federal immigration authorities. “I mean, we’ve had far too many instances where we have seen someone lose their lives at the hands of someone that’s in this country illegally,” Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital. “These sanctuary cities have gone out of their way to ignore federal law for far too long. And it’s time that we get serious and we put teeth to things.” RIOTERS SMASH WINDOWS AT LAPD HEADQUARTERS AS ANTI-ICE AGITATORS CLASH WITH AUTHORITIES He’s introducing the Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act on Tuesday, Fox News Digital is first learning, which has a Senate companion bill introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. The bill would allow the executive branch to withhold federal funds from states, cities, or other localities that refuse to comply with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). On a more granular level, it would also empower state and local officers to work with federal authorities, even if the laws within their operating jurisdictions mandate otherwise. CALIFORNIA LT. GOVERNOR SAYS LOS ANGELES RIOTS ARE ‘GENERATED BY DONALD TRUMP’ Langworthy said that provision is critical to officers in his Buffalo-anchored district. New York’s Green Light Law, he explained, both allowed illegal immigrants to get driver’s licenses and prevented sharing state DMV records with federal authorities. “That really got my attention when I met with ICE at the beginning of the year, and I met with Customs and Border Patrol agents in Buffalo during the Biden administration. They said that this is the largest impediment they have to do their jobs,” Langworthy said. For a traffic stop, he said, “They think they know who’s in the car, but they can’t run the tags because they’re New York tags, and they’re taking their lives into their own hands on every single apprehension request.” The push to defund sanctuary jurisdictions comes after a weekend of violence on the other side of the country, where rioters in Los Angeles clashed with federal authorities over ICE raids in the blue stronghold city. Democratic officials have criticized President Donald Trump for sending the National Guard in over the objections of Gov. Gavin Newsom, while Republicans have blasted those progressive leaders for doing little to help federal authorities amid the protests. Langworthy said he hoped the violence would stay in Los Angeles, and that political tensions would not make their way to liberal New York City. “I think the president setting the tone very early on, this will not be tolerated. We will federalize the National Guard and maintain law and order in the streets of our country,” he said. “Hopefully that is heard loud and clear across the country by anyone that looks to bring unrest to our streets and disrupt civil society.”
Dems walk back pro-cop, law and order rhetoric from J6 era in the face of spiraling immigration riots
Elected Democrats from coast to coast championed law and order and embraced law enforcement in the wake of the Jan. 6 protest at the U.S. Capitol in 2021, but have seemingly walked back such rhetoric in the face of federal law enforcement officials carrying out immigration raids in Los Angeles that have spiraled into riots. Democrats have increasingly condemned the immigration raids that began Friday in Los Angeles, claiming they were “illegal” and revealed alleged evidence of President Donald Trump’s “authoritarianism,” while attempting to characterize the riots as a result of the administration’s alleged overreach. “Inciting and provoking violence; Creating mass chaos; Militarizing cities; Arresting opponents,” Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom said on X Sunday. “These are the acts of a dictator, not a President.” CALIFORNIA REPUBLICANS SLAM NEWSOM, BASS FOR LETTING LA BURN WITH RIOTS AMID TRUMP IMMIGRATION BLITZ “Deploying federalized troops on the heels of these raids is a chaotic escalation,” Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass posted to X Sunday. “The fear people are feeling in our city right now is very real – it’s felt in our communities and within our families and it puts our neighborhoods at risk. This is the last thing that our city needs, and I urge protesters to remain peaceful. I’ve been in touch this morning with immigrant rights leaders as well as local law enforcement officials. Los Angeles will always stand with everyone who calls our city home.” Federal law enforcement officials converged on the city Friday, with both Newsom and Bass issuing statements shortly thereafter denouncing the raids, which are part of Trump’s campaign vow to remove the millions of illegal immigrants who flooded the nation under the Biden administration. ‘LUNATIC’ DEMOCRAT RIPPED FOR ‘DEMONIC’ VIDEO MESSAGE DEMANDING ICE AGENTS ‘GET THE F— OUT’ AMID CA CHAOS Newsom, Bass and other local elected Democrats quickly sounded off that they did not support the raids, while offering words of support to illegal immigrants who reside in Los Angeles. “As Mayor of a proud city of immigrants, who contribute to our city in so many ways, I am deeply angered by what has taken place,” Bass, for example, said Friday. “These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. My office is in close coordination with immigrant rights community organizations. We will not stand for this.” Protests against the raids soon devolved into violence over the weekend, as rioters targeted federal officials with rocks and other projectiles, set cars on fire, looted stores and took over 101 Freeway Sunday. Trump said Saturday that he was authorizing the deployment of 2,000 National Guard members to Southern California to help quell the violence as it spiraled, bypassing the governor who typically activates the National Guard during state emergencies. The White House has defended calling in the National Guard to restore law and order, after Democrats reportedly failed to control the increasingly violent protests and the LAPD declared an unlawful assembly in the city. Dozens of violent protesters have been arrested since Friday, according to local police. FEDERAL OFFICIALS SLAM DEMOCRATS FOR ‘DANGEROUS’ RHETORIC AS ICE AGENTS FACE VIOLENT MOBS IN LA, NYC “Gavin Newsom did nothing as violent riots erupted in Los Angeles for days,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted to X Monday. “Federal law enforcement officers were attacked by violent radicals and illegal criminals waving foreign flags because Governor Newsom was too weak to protect the city. The Los Angeles Police Chief has even said the riots were getting out of hand. President Trump has stepped in to maintain law and order and protect federal buildings.” As the riots raged, a handful of elected Democrats, as well as Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, have condemned the raids and federal officials cracking down on the protests, which stand in stark contrast to messages they issued in the 2021 era after Trump supporters breached the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 following the 2020 election. Democrats have long argued the Jan. 6 protest was a violent insurrection that trampled on the U.S. Constitution and threatened democracy when an estimated 2,000 people breached the Capitol building that day. CALIFORNIA LT. GOVERNOR SAYS LOS ANGELES RIOTS ARE ‘GENERATED BY DONALD TRUMP’ “ICE get the f— out of LA so that order can be restored,” Democratic California Rep. Norma Torres posted in a video on TikTok Friday of the raids, which received widespread backlash among conservative critics. But when addressing the Jan. 6 protest, Torres invoked the Constitution, celebrated law enforcement and disavowed the “chaos” seen at the Capitol in 2021. “The American people deserve leaders who will uphold the Constitution and protect our democracy from those who seek to destroy it,” Torres said in a statement in January criticizing Trump’s pardons of the vast majority of those charged in connection to the protest at the Capitol. “I call on my colleagues, regardless of party affiliation, to condemn this reckless abuse of power and to recommit ourselves to the principles of justice and accountability.” “I remember the sound of the mob banging on doors, the bravery of law enforcement officers who risked their lives to protect us, and the sense of betrayal as our sacred democratic institutions were desecrated,” she added. When asked about the disparity in comments, Torres said she has “always supported our local law enforcement – whether it be in Los Angeles or Washington, D.C.,” adding that the ICE raids is “entirely different.’ “LAPD is trained to handle this situation and have the resources to do so,” Torres told Fox News Digital on Monday. “What ICE is doing in California is entirely different – we’re witnessing ICE ignore federal law, people going missing, families being separated, and even American citizens being mistakenly detained. I do not support violent conduct, but I believe the Los Angeles Police Department can restore calm, and prosecute any violent offenders as needed. Bringing in the National Guard will only escalate tensions by introducing a weaponized military presence into the city.”
Trump says ‘disrespect’ toward National Guard in LA ‘will not be tolerated’: ‘If they spit, we will hit’
President Donald Trump said National Guard officers are authorized to hit back if “insurrectionists” spit in their faces, warning that “such disrespect will not be tolerated.” The president, on Monday, blasted the “catastrophic” riots across Los Angeles in protest of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts. The president posted to his Truth Social a “statement from the President of the United States concerning the catastrophic Gavin Newscum inspired Riots going on in Los Angeles.” LIVE UPDATES: ANTI-ICE PROTEST DECLARED ‘UNLAWFUL ASSEMBLY,’ NEWSOM DARES HOMAN TO ARREST HIM “The Insurrectionists have a tendency to spit in the face of the National Guardsmen/women, and others,” Trump posted. “These Patriots are told to accept this, it’s just the way life runs. But not in the Trump Administration.” “IF THEY SPIT, WE WILL HIT, and I promise you they will be hit harder than they have ever been hit before,” the president said. He added: “Such disrespect will not be tolerated.”