[By Guancha Observer, Liu Chenghui]
The "encirclement battle" against illegal immigrants in Los Angeles, California, has entered its third day, with ongoing escalation of conflicts between local officials and the federal government.
On June 7th local time, Tom Homan, known as the "border czar" of the White House, warned that local officials including Gavin Newsom, a Democratic governor of California, and Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, should not "overstep their boundaries" and must stop interfering with federal law enforcement actions, or they may face arrest.
Homan told NBC late at night that regardless of any resistance, the federal government will continue daily operations targeting illegal immigrants in Los Angeles. He implied that even elected officials could face arrest if they interfere with frontline law enforcement actions.
"I tell you, we will enforce immigration laws every day in Los Angeles," Homan said. "We will do it every day. I don't care whether they like it or not."
Homan interviewed by NBC News
On July 7th, President Trump signed a presidential memorandum, announcing the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area without California's request for assistance. Newsom and Bass warned that this would escalate tensions.
Homan had threatened that anyone obstructing immigration enforcement might be arrested. When asked whether this included Newsom or Bass, Homan did not rule out such a possibility.
"I would say this to anyone," Homan stated. "If you knowingly and intentionally harbor and conceal illegal immigrants, it is a serious crime; obstructing law enforcement is also a serious crime."
However, he did not accuse any politician of actually obstructing law enforcement, and when asked about Bass, he said: "I don't think she has overstepped her boundaries." Bass's spokesperson has not responded yet.
Homan was harsh in his words toward Newsom, calling him "a disgrace to California," and criticized California's "sanctuary state" law, which prohibits local authorities from being forced to participate in federal immigration enforcement activities.
"If he truly cared about public safety in California, he wouldn't have implemented a criminal protection policy," Homan said. "His policies release criminals back onto the streets every day."
"The rhetoric is escalating, escalating, escalating, and someone will get hurt. If this violence isn't suppressed, someone will die, and that's the cruel reality of life," he added.
A spokesperson for Newsom did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (left) and California Governor Gavin Newsom pictured together. CBS
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) currently prioritizes enforcement on "public safety threats." Homan hinted that the federal government does not differentiate between violent offenders and those violating civil immigration regulations when enforcing deportation laws.
"I've said it a thousand times, our enforcement scope will expand," he said. "If you are illegally residing in the U.S., you are no longer safe."
ICE and other federal agencies conducted large-scale operations targeting illegal immigrants in multiple locations across Los Angeles County on June 6th and 7th, leading to severe conflicts with local community residents over two consecutive days.
Local residents gathered outside several federal buildings to express dissatisfaction, including the Los Angeles Central Detention Center and the Department of Homeland Security office. Protesters burned American flags, set up roadblocks, and threw stones and fireworks at federal vehicles. Police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the crowds.
The White House has characterized the events as an insurrection. Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff of the White House, condemned these gatherings as "insurrection" against America on June 7th.
The U.S. military said on June 8th that a total of 300 National Guard personnel were deployed to the Los Angeles area according to orders.
U.S. media reported that there are frequent gunshots in Los Angeles, and law enforcement officers continuously fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters.
On June 8th, two self-driving taxis were set ablaze in downtown Los Angeles. Visual China
In the early hours of August 8th, Trump posted again on Twitter, criticizing the incompetence of the California government. He said, "After two days of violence, conflict, and turmoil, the Los Angeles National Guard performed excellently. We have an incompetent governor and mayor who, as usual, cannot handle the situation - look at how they handled wildfires, and now they are very slowly causing a disaster."
On the same day, before heading to Camp David, Trump told reporters that he would not rule out invoking the Insurrection Act, which allows for domestic deployment of troops, depending on whether an insurrection occurs. He stated that the current protests against immigration raids were not yet considered an "insurrection."
Trump said he had instructed DHS Secretary Nielsen, Defense Secretary Esper, and Attorney General Barr to take all necessary actions with relevant departments and agencies to "liberate Los Angeles from immigration invasion and end these immigration riots."
Following the start of the law enforcement agency's raid, Bass issued a statement on June 6th condemning the large-scale search for illegal immigrants by federal agencies in Los Angeles, expressing deep anger. Bass stated in the statement: "This is a strategy aimed at spreading terror in our communities... We must not tolerate such behavior."
Newsom also took a tough stance. On X platform on June 7th, he posted consecutively: "The federal government is taking control of the California National Guard and deploying 2,000 soldiers in Los Angeles – not because of insufficient law enforcement forces, but because they want to stage a show. Don't let them succeed. Never use violence. Speak peacefully."
"The defense secretary is now threatening to deploy active-duty Marines within the United States to confront their own citizens. This is madness."
According to reports by CNN, on the evening of June 8th, California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis said that the state might file a lawsuit against the deployment of the National Guard by the U.S. government, which could be filed on June 9th.
On June 8th, Newsom signed a document addressed to the Department of Defense, requesting Defense Secretary Esper to withdraw the order to deploy the National Guard to the Los Angeles area and return the command authority of the California National Guard to the state government, "deploying only when necessary."
Newsom also stated that Trump's intervention exacerbated tensions.
In the document, Newsom claimed, "State and local authorities are best suited to assess the resource needs required to protect life and property," adding that "in fact, deploying the National Guard without proper training or orders may severely exacerbate the situation."
In addition, 22 Democratic governors jointly condemned Trump's decision to deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles, California, calling it "an alarming abuse of power." Although Newsom himself did not sign the statement, the statement expressed appreciation for Newsom's call to keep protests peaceful at the end.
CNN pointed out that since 1965, no president has deployed the National Guard domestically without the governor's request.
On June 8th, protesters faced off with police on Highway 101 in downtown Los Angeles. Visual China
The Hill reported that according to U.S. law, the military is typically prohibited from participating in domestic law enforcement actions, and invoking the Insurrection Act is seen as a potential way to bypass this restriction. Now, Trump has taken the rare step of federalizing the California National Guard and sending them to Los Angeles, effectively bypassing Governor Newsom, who usually has command authority over California's armed forces.
There are reports that Trump plans to begin significantly cutting federal funding to California as early as June 13th.
As governor of the largest economic state in the U.S., Newsom posted on social media that California is a "net contributor" to the federal treasury, paying billions more in taxes than it receives in federal grants. If the U.S. government continues to threaten the 40 million Americans living in California, perhaps California should consider stopping tax payments.
White House spokesperson Kush Desai responded to Newsom's remarks by denying that the government plans to cut funding comprehensively but harshly criticized California's policies, calling them "anti-energy, permissive on crime, supportive of child gender transition, and protective of illegal immigrants."
Census data shows that a large portion of Los Angeles' population is either Latino or foreign-born. Reuters described that the current protests highlight the contradictions between the Democratic-governed Los Angeles and the Republican administration under Trump. The Trump administration has made cracking down on immigration one of its core policies in its second term, but this large-scale crackdown on immigrants also involves legal residents, including some with permanent residency, raising legal questions.
America's CBS obtained internal government data showing that during President Trump's second term, ICE arrested more than 100,000 people this week, with federal agents intensifying efforts to detain illegal immigrants at courthouses, workplaces, and communities across the country.
Federal statistics show that ICE recorded more than 2,000 arrests on both June 3rd and 4th, a significant increase compared to the agency's average of 660 daily arrests during the first 100 days of Trump's return to the White House. This represents a 450% increase compared to the average of the last year of former President Biden's administration.
"The Trump administration, DHS, and ICE have acted too hastily," Juan Proaño, CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), asserted. "They haven't planned this properly, and they lack the capacity to continue these large-scale deportations."
This article is an exclusive contribution from the Guancha Observer and cannot be reprinted without permission.
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7513795951190868519/
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